Above and Below
by redphoenix198
Summary: Faberry somehow A/U. Genderswapped Quinn! Quinnten and Norah are the hit couple in McKinley. But when lies and deceit come to the surface, choices are made and new feelings are discovered. Will Rachel keep pursuing Finn or look around for someone else? - Credits for the image go to Konako.
1. Chapter 1

**ABOVE AND BELOW**

_Male!Quinn & Rachel + Female!Puck. _

_Male Quinn: Chris Zylka _

_Female Puck: Mila Kunis** (both genderswap ideas came from the amazing work brittanas (.) tumblr (.) com /tagged/genderswap)**_

**Rated: **M for sexual contents and cursing.

**Summary:** Quinnten and Norah are the hit couple in McKinley. But when lies and deceit come to the surface, choices are made and new feelings are discovered. Will Rachel keep pursuing the Quarterback or look around for someone else? Faberry, somehow A/U. Some storylines are the same.

**A/N:** I know I haven't posted updates for my other fic, I'll get back on that but I got this idea and wanted to write it down. Thanks for your attention and leave your comments!

CHAPTER 1

Quinnten Fabray was leaning against his locker and retrieving his books for the first period, when his world crashed down. Clad in his letterman jacket and designer jeans, he had achieved his popularity through his football player talents and strong attitude for command; he had been the first freshman to enter the football team and now, as sophomore, he had become Captain and the best Wide Receiver McKinley Titans ever blonde guy had led the team to the 1st victory in 20 years, since Russell Fabray – his father – was Quarterback and had won every Football title at that time; living with those expectations hadn't been easy, Fabray senior had put so much pressure on his shoulders that he had wanted to just give up and shift the responsibilities to someone else. Someone like Finn Hudson, his best friend, or Dave Karofsky. Someone who was interested in that burden, but no one was as good as he was. It was a blessing and a curse, at the same time. Of course, being the most popular guy in McKinley meant that he couldn't date anyone but the most popular girl aka the Head Cheerleader Norah Puckerman, who was currently standing in front of him with teary eyes and quivering lips.

Their relationship had met some resistance from his family, since she was a Jewish girl whose father had disappeared when she was just a little girl. Russell Fabray had yelled and called his son disrespectful by bringing her into his house, but let it slide after Judy's intercession and just considered it a mere façade to raise his son's popularity and keep him from committing sexual acts out of wedlock, something he would have never given his blessing to. Furthermore, to accept their relationship he required for them to join the Chastity Club that the local church had insisted for McKinley to start, in order to keep the young teenagers pure.

"Hey, what's going on? Did something happen at practice?" Quinnten had never been a very affectionate boyfriend, keeping PDA to minimum level unless he lost some of his self control and gave into his girlfriend's beauty, like that time in the hot tub one month before.

"I am pregnant." Norah whispered brokenly before flinging herself into his arms, hands curled around the fabric of his Ralph Lauren's shirt as her tears soaked its collar, leaving a darkened path behind. The blonde player stood frozen in the spot, his mind was still trying to process the shocking news but being the gentleman he was raised to be, he wrapped his arms robotically around her.

"It'…it's going to be okay." He whispered softly and sighed against her ear, chocolate orbs settled on the pairing from across the hallway but quickly looked away once Quinnten's face raised to look around. Rachel's brows furrowed in confusion and curiosity, it wasn't ordinary that the Head Cheerio cried in her boyfriend's arms in front of everyone. She was nothing but a loser to Norah, but after the popular couple joined the Glee club the insults had diminished and the slushy attacks had lessened; Rachel had never worried about Quinnten nor gotten on the receiving end of his insults, he had left her alone and watched with interest whenever she took the spotlight in the Glee club. The blonde player had been silently supporting her throughout the weeks of attendance in the club, never joining the other members when they tried to tear her down or call on her diva antics.

"What's up with Q and Norah?" Finn Hudson, Glee co-captain and Titans Quarterback, looked extremely tall compared to her petite frame; she had openly expressed her not subtle attraction for him and made some advances on him, earning a stolen kiss in the auditorium before he ran off muttering Mailman to himself. It had been humiliating and when she had tried to approach him the following days, he had simply turned her down and gone back to talk to her only during the Glee Club slots.

"I have no idea, shouldn't you be the one more informed since you are supposed to be his best friend?" The brunette slammed the locker shut and turned on her heels, leaving a dumbfounded Finn alone; although, he merely noticed her diva outburst, focusing on the broken look on Quinnten's face who was still trying to comfort his sobbing girlfriend the best he could.

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_Having Norah over while his parents were away for the weekend sounded like a good idea at first, they could have had a dinner and enjoyed a movie in the big Fabray basement, where his father had installed a flat TV screen that covered most of the wall. Although, the brunette girl had different ideas and aimed straight for the liquor cabinet choosing the finest vodka that belonged to Judy Fabray not wanting to raise any suspicion with Russell. Quinnten was easily persuaded to spend the rest of the night in the hot tub, sharing long gulps of the alcoholic beverage and indulging in the languid kisses that his girlfriend placed all over his bare neck and lips. Alcohol served its purpose of losing inhibitions and Quinnten, being a teenage guy, didn't find any strength to push his girlfriend off his lap even after they had both lost the remaining clothes left between them. _

"_Let me take care of you, I promise you'll feel good." Norah's voice was like a mermaid song, unable to resist and whispered the right way to make his hormones race; he could feel her own wetness spread along the length of his manhood and her breasts press against his flat chest. It felt good and wrong at the same time. He wanted to stop and not to take things further, it was everything he had always believed into. No premarital sex. Yet, her voice was so sultry and comforting. Her lips trailed slowly along the hollow of his neck as her hands touched his abs underwater, dragging her short nails along the groove of his defined muscles that made his hips buck forward and brush along something soft. Something that made his girlfriend moan and thrust her slender hips down, grinding more fiercely against his hardened shaft. _

"_We should stop, I don't want to…" Quinnten closed his eyes for the pleasure, his mind and body ached for different things while his heart stood in between. Confused and beating hard, he wanted to stop and keep going. He wanted to slip inside of her and finally understand what every guy talked about in school. His hands trailed along his girlfriend's sides, stopping her from lowering herself to take him inside and just kept moving her hips up and down. It wasn't sex if he had gone inside, right? "What about protections?"_

"_I took care of it baby." The cheerleader's fingers curled around the edge of the tub, gripping it tightly as she humped her boyfriend's hardness with more speed; the tip of his member pressed deliciously against her engorged nub and wouldn't have taken her long to finally release against him, after being stopped so many times since they had started dating. "Oh Quinnten!" She gasped in his ear and pressed her naked frame against his as she gave into the feeling that was overcoming her body, with the last quick thrusts she let the orgasm rip through her frame . She barely noticed the added wetness on her folds, spurting from the tip of Quinnten's shaft as he released in the warm water of the tub, silent and guilty for losing control so easily. _

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"How…did this happen?" Quinnten whispered to his girlfriend as they waited for Mr. Schuester to finish his long rant about the upcoming Sectionals. He had comforted her for more than 40 minutes before they had mutually decided not to skip the Glee Club meeting, not wanting to raise any suspicion among their fellow members.

"The hot tub, water speeds up the process." Norah whispered absentmindedly, she didn't even bother to look back at her confused boyfriend, too busy to steal glances at the Quarterback sitting two rows before her who kept throwing sneaky looks at the couple. "Look, you put me in this situation and I expect you to do the right thing Quinnten." Shaking her head, she stood up and followed her best friends – Santana Lopez and Brittany Pierce – out of the room without sparing another glance to the blonde sitting in the last row of the room.

"Dude, are you okay?" Finn sat beside him on the chair the Head Cheerio had just vacated, his hand rested awkwardly on top of his shoulder and squeezed it softly, trying to comfort his best friend in the manliest way he knew. "What happened in the hallway?"

"I am screwed up man, my dad is going to kill me." The blonde receiver shook his head and ran a hand through his short hair, sighing loudly and mentally weighing his own options. Find a job? He could do that, but his parents would get suspicious. They were loaded and wouldn't have accepted him to work unless it was for the family business. What to do?

"It's gonna be okay Quinnten, whatever is I am sure your folks will understand." He squeezed his best friend's shoulder and looked up in time to catch Norah's eyes in the hallways; nodding lightly, he stood up and marched down the step to gather his bag. "I am gonna go talk to Coach for a strategy for the next match, go home and get some rest man."

"Catch you later Finn." The shorter player nodded at his friend and slumped further into the chair, pressing the heels of his palms over his tired eyes, very much aware of a strong headache that would be coming soon. His mind went back to that afternoon, just few minutes of pleasure that led to this mess. What was going to happen? Will they keep the baby? Raise it? How could they support a child if they were children themselves? No jobs nor a stable environment for the baby to be raised properly. What about their relationship? Would they get married? Break-up? "Ugh!" Standing up he grabbed his bag and threw it across the room, watching it hit the wall and then fall to the ground with a soft thud.

"Quinn?" A soft voice startled the panting player, making him lose his balance and drop unceremoniously on his butt, in front of Rachel Diva Berry. "Gosh, are you feeling alright? You shouldn't stand up too quickly after an injury, you could risk getting dizzy and fainting and I am not fully prepared on CPR nor I am sure the nurse Roberts is still here at such late hour-"

"Berry!" He barked stopping the rant midway "I am fine, really. I suffered worse during practices or matches, it's my ego that hurts the most" He chuckled lightly and stood up slowly, rubbing his backside through the jeans. "I apologize for my irate gesture and scaring you, it's just a bad day." Crossing his arms over his chest, he took a moment to fully look down at the brunette standing before him. The first thing coming to his mind was that she was beautiful, indeed. Not in a canon way like Norah or sexy like Santana was, but in her unique and simple way that made her look better than all those clones walking around school in Cheerios uniforms.

"I know that we never went past a superficial greeting during Glee club and I am sure Finn or Norah will be the most suitable individuals you'd turn to, but if you need an objective and discrete ear I am here for you." Rachel smiled gently at the taller guy, she didn't feel inadequate nor too small compared to the blonde football player. Surely, he was handsome and taller than her but the height difference was probably more appropriate than the one she had shared – even if briefly – with Finn.

"I might take you up on that, girlfriend problems can't be discussed with the girl and Finn would probably give me his male POV before going back to play COD." Quinnten chuckled to himself and stepped down the steps to fully stand before the singer; she was short but cute at the same time, making him want to just pull her into his arms. But it was bad. Not when he had to think about the baby he was having with his girlfriend. "Thank you for the offer and have a good rest of the day, Rachel." With that said, he brushed past her toward his bag before leaving the choir room with a visible frown adorning his face.

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"What's going on with you and Quinn? We could have got caught with your obvious glances." Finn hissed as he followed the Head Cheerio inside the locker rooms; practice had long finished, so they had the room to themselves without being worried about indiscrete ears. "What is it?"

"I am pregnant, dumbass. I fucking told you to wear the damn condom but you had already finished inside of me." Norah pushed her finger against his sternum, clearly intimidating the tallest guy despite the big height difference between them. "What am I supposed to do now? I have no job and this is gonna ruin my fucking life. I didn't want to be a Lima loser like my dad!"

"How can you be sure it's mine? Quinn was pretty sure he had been the one doing the damage here." He threw his hands up and backed away from the girl, not wanting to having to deal with hormones driven Norah Puckerman. He knew what she was capable of and still wondered how Quinnten could deal with that on daily basis.

"He didn't do any damage cause we were in the freaking tub and not that close to me when he came. You, on the other hand, were all the way in and I've been missing my period since we did it two months ago." She growled in frustration and started pacing up and down the locker room; she knew that Finn Hudson was nowhere near to take care or provide for a child, Quinnten was her best option. He loved her and his family was stable enough to look after her and the baby, when the bills would have started piling up.

"So it's mine? Am I gonna be a dad?" He stepped closer to the cheerleader only to be shoved back, clearly making a mistake – again. "What the hell? You just told me it's my baby and I can't even come closer? What the actual fuck?"

"First of all. Lay off the swearing in front of MY child. Secondly, just because your lazy sperm cell managed to find my egg on its own, you are a dad? How can you provide a stable life for a baby if what you do best is sitting around on your ass and play COD? Where you'll get the money when medical bills start coming? No, you are not a dad. You are merely a donor and I am choosing to have this baby with my boyfriend, whom I trust enough to be there for us, for his family." Turning away from the Quarterback, she couldn't help but feel the tears pool in her eyes. Why did she have to cheat on him with Finn? His best friend? Quinnten had been a perfect and caring boyfriend till then, but it hadn't been enough and now she was in this messy predicament where she wished the baby had been a Fabray.

"But not enough to tell him that the bastard you are carrying is mine huh? Go ahead and tell him that you were sleeping with his best friend behind his back for the past 3 months. Let's see how much he'll love the truth knowing he wasn't enough; if it wasn't for this mistake, you would still keep me warm in bed at night and be on his arm during the daylight." He snarled at her back shaking his head, for a moment he thought he could take responsibilities and get the girl he had secretly fallen in love with, but he was wrong. "Go and tell him or I swear that-"

"You swear what? Don't you dare telling him anything or you'll see what I am capable of, Finn Hudson!" She looked back at him with gritted teeth and rage in her brown eyes, hands balled into fists at her side as she watched the Quarterback just storm out of the room, slamming the door behind himself. With him gone, she could just feel the weight of her mistakes crash her down to the floor. Collapsing against the lockers, she buried her head against her knees and sobbed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Here chapter 2, hope you are interested. Thank you for reviews/alerts/favorites! It means a lot to me! Please leave your thoughts ab the plot and if you want me to go on :)**

CHAPTER 2

It took Quinnten 10 days to find a job that paid well enough to cover the medical bills Norah presented him each Monday, but he considered himself lucky since his job consisted in storing and cataloguing the new books for the local Barnes & Noble store in Lima. He loved books and couldn't have hoped for a better job, since he was still a high school student who needed to graduate top class to attend the college his family had already chosen for him. Russell had been hard to persuade in letting him take this part-time job, a Fabray working in a simple bookstore was not good for the image of the family but when the young receiver underlined it would enrich his CV and give him a taste of real life, he gave his blessing as long as it didn't interfere with school and football practice.

"That was the last two weeks pay, it's not much." Quinnten scratched the back of his head looking at his girlfriend's stoic face. "The other guy working with me is moving out of Lima for college, so I'll get part of his raise if I work twice harder and do weekend shifts." He closed his eyes briefly, already imagining the long angry rant she'd start but wasn't definitely prepared to feel her lips against his, dropping a thankful kiss on his mouth.

"I am very thankful for all the efforts you are making, Quinn. You make us proud of you." Norah's arms latched around the player's neck, brushing their lips together as he held her around the waist, pulling her into his arms. "My mother is working tonight, wanna swing by after dinner? I wanna thank you properly for all you are doing to take care of me."

"Well well…are you gaining some weight Puckerman? I'd be careful with that, wouldn't want to get kicked out of the Cheerios and end up like any other loser in this school." Finn walked up to the pairing, breaking their small moment and taking pleasure in watching hurt fill the Head Cheerleader's eyes. "Who knows what Coach Sylvester is gonna say about that."

"Finn. Back off, man. It's none of your business." Quinnten stood between the two brunettes, his hazelnut eyes darkened with anger as he stared up at his teammate and best friend, who stepped lightly back and away from them. "Don't make any other comment about her or you'll have to deal with me, clear?"

"Okay okay Quinn. Just saying, man. If you like them fat, not my problem. See you later buddy." He chuckled and sent them a wink, before lifting his bag higher over his left shoulder and walking down the hallways toward his first period. The blonde receiver shook his head and turned toward his girlfriend, whose lips were trembling and eyes were filled with unshed tears; he just pulled her back into his neck and held onto her, whispering gently in her ear.

Across the hallway, another brunette watched the scene unfold with an equally distressed face that showed how much her esteem for Finn had lowered after that comment; she didn't know what was going on with the Head Cheerio, but being insulted like that wasn't fair. She had gone through that and despite being used to the hurtful names, the pain she felt never diminished; shutting her locker closed, she held her books against the front of her sweater and looked toward the couple one last time, meeting Quinnten's eyes for a brief moment before heading her own way. One look was enough to convey all the support he needed.

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Lunch time felt like a jungle, most of the time. Guys fought over the best slices of pizza or a bigger forkful of spaghetti, while Cheerios fought for the lightest lunch or the best looking salad with 0% fat; Rachel, instead, had started bringing homemade lunch, safely stored in a cute pink lunchbox, since nothing in the cafeteria was suitable for her vegan diet and surely, she didn't want to give cheerleaders another reason to slushie her because she stole the last salad from their grasp.

"What's the newest gossip about the hit couple? Everyone heard Finn's remark, do you think she is really getting fat?" Kurt's high pitched voice brought Rachel back from her thoughts. "What do you think Rachel?" He turned toward the brunette across from him, too busy sneaking glances behind his shoulder to acknowledge he had posed a question. "Earth to Rachel!"

"Oh, you have to forgive me for my temporary lack of attention. What was your question, if you could repeat?" The brunette's eyes caught a glimpse of Norah and Quinnten sitting at the popular crowd lunch table, arms linked together as the brunette cheerleader nuzzled her face into the crook of the player's neck. She felt suddenly weird and ashamed of having witnessed such display of affection, it was so intimate that she had to tear her gaze away from it but she found herself momentary unable to do so.

"I was asking about your opinion concerning the Head Cheerleader, but I see that your attention has been caught by something else. Still pining over my future step-brother?" He looked over his shoulder to check what the tall Quarterback was up to have entranced the diva so much, only not to find him anywhere in his line of sight. "Who are you staring at, Rach? New crush?! Spill!"

"Yes Berry, who is the new guy you've been staring at? Dave or maybe Mike? I saw him dance and he definitely made me hot all over." Mercedes laughed softly at that statement, it was not news that the Asian dancer got skills and a body to die for. Tina blushed lightly at the mention of their friend and tried to hide it, knowing Artie's inquisitive glare was on her.

"No one, Mercedes. I was simply making sure anyone from that table was coming over to pull a prank on us, it would be nice to enjoy a meal without having to worry about slushie or being thrown into dumpsters. Concerning Norah, Kurt, I prefer to stay out of that because for once, it's not fair to make any speculation on that matter and two, she should be free to eat whatever she pleases without having to worry about us judging her." The small diva looked down at her half eaten salad, playing with the small tomatoes left in the bowl before pushing it aside and closing her lunchbox. "Since I have forty minutes left, I'll take advantage of this time to work on my scales. If you could excuse me." Gathering her things, the brunette headed out of the cafeteria not before throwing one last glance toward the jocks table, finding Quinnten alone and laughing at something Dave had just said.

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It was no surprise that the hallways were quite empty during this time of the day, Rachel would probably benefit of the silent atmosphere to practice her vocal exercises before heading to the next period; she was just turning around the corner when she heard the familiar voices of Finn Hudson and Norah Puckerman, so she took a step back and hid behind the wall, not wanting to be caught by either of them.

"What do you want now Finn? Wasn't enough what you said this morning?" Norah stood with her arms crossed under her chest, the red and white uniform accentuated her ample chest and momentarily distracted the taller player who had approached her first. "So? I don't have all day, Hudson."

"Look, I wanted to apologize for what I said this morning. I realized I acted like a jerk, but try and understand what I am going through. I had to witness you two kissing for the past months and now that you are carrying my child, I can't even stand by your side and support you the way I'd like." His hand came to rest against the metal lockers, while his right hand cupped her cheek gently. "We were each other's firsts, doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"Of course it does, but what about Quinnten? How can I tell him that it's not his child I am carrying? Or that I've been sleeping behind his back with anyone but his best friend. I can't do that to him, he is a good guy and he is making so many sacrifices to pay for the medical bills." The brunette Cheerio turned her head to the side, not wanting to meet Finn's pleading eyes that were so easily to lose herself into. "I am sorry Finn, but I stand by my choice."

"And I have no rights to oppose? It's my child! I am the father and I have every right to claim this baby as mine, whether you want to protect your precious Quinn or not." The Quarterback stood back from his slumped position, both hands were balled in tight fists as his brows furrowed in anger and confusion. "Let me help at least, if you care so much about Quinn you shouldn't let him pay alone for a mistake he didn't make."

"You don't have a job Finn and I can't ask your mother to pay for this." Norah crossed arms behind herself and looked up at the tall football player. "I won't promise you anything, if you can find a job then I'll reconsider the idea of letting you help us, but no more than that. I still choose Quinnten, hope you'll learn to accept it." With that said, she pushed past him and walked into the girls' bathroom leaving him standing there. Both didn't notice the shadow behind the corner that had eavesdropped every single word of the conversation.

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When the blonde receiver stepped inside the empty house, he suddenly noticed the dim lights and the soft music playing in the background, making the atmosphere more romantic and intimate; he suddenly felt underdressed, his jeans and long sleeve polo were good for his job, but Norah had probably expected a better outfit for their romantic night. He had just found some time to drop by a flower shop and get her some white lilies, knowing how much she loved those but then had rushed his way to her house.

"I feel underdressed for the occasion, had you given me few hints about tonight I would have brought a change from my house." Quinnten stepped inside the relative small 2 story house, it was cozy and more homey than his own mansion though. "You look breathtaking." His eyes landed on the short red dress she was wearing and that accentuated every right curve of her still slender frame. "I've got you these." He handed her the small bouquet and closed the main door behind them, only to find himself pinned against the wooden surface and her body against his.

"You shouldn't have and concerning the clothes, if you are lucky you won't get to keep them on for long." She smirked against his lips as their mouths met briefly, fingers curled around each side of his head gripping his short golden hair. "Let's go in the living room, I cooked us some light dinner." Taking his hand she led them toward the almost dark room, where only the light coming from a couple of candles provided some visibility of the furniture.

"You didn't have to do this, I don't want you to wear yourself out. Think of the baby." The football player sat down in the middle of the big couch and pulled his girlfriend beside him, so that her bare feet rested in his lap while he sorted some food on the plates. "How is the sickness? You have enough ginger ale and crackers? Cravings?"

"Baby, slow down. It's only been a month, but soon enough I'll make you run to the store in the middle of the night to fulfill my crazy cravings like pickles and ice-cream or chocolate and bacon." She shifted her feet off his lap and raised herself so she straddled him, hands resting each side of the couch behind them. "So, do you want a prize for being such a good boyfriend?"

"You…don't think it could harm the baby?" His hazelnut eyes looked down between them, brows furrowed in confusion at the thought there was a small life inside of her. A small life that he had contributed to create and that, despite the circumstances it had been conceived, had already stolen a part of his young heart. "Have you given a thought about our future? I mean, are we keeping the baby or-"

"I…I could never choose to end his or her life, we were the ones who deserve to be punished for some irresponsible behavior." Norah's forehead came to rest upon Quinn's temple, breathing deeply in the soft scent of his cologne that didn't make her stomach torch in disgust. How bad she wished it was his baby inside her wombs and not his best friend's. "Quinn?" She whispered in his ear and felt his arms tighten the grip around her slender hips. "If not for the baby, we'd still be together?"

"Why are you asking me that? We were together before this happened and I know we had our misunderstandings, but it doesn't mean I feel different things for you." One of his hands cradled the side of her face, pulling her back from the crook of his neck to stare up into her brown eyes. "I love you even if I don't say it much and I'll take care of you and our baby."

"I love you too Quinnten, you don't know how much." Her face inched closer to place a gentle kiss on his mouth before resting her head back against his strong shoulder. Arms circled her back slowly as they reclined back against the couch, sinking in its warmth and just taking a break from all the craziness of their past days.

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When Monday came around, the Glee members were gathered in the choir room before school even started with so many protests of the teens who would have rather slept a little bit more; Rachel stood by the piano reading through her music sheets, but silently switching her gaze between the popular couple and Finn, her once school crush that had fallen from his pedestal. She could see the longing stares he had been thrown toward the Head Cheerio who wasn't sparing him any attention but just sunk herself into the comfort of her boyfriend's arms. The brunette diva just shook her head at the sight, loathing the idea of them playing the football captain without any remorse or even trying to be less obvious to the world; when Mr. Schue walked inside the room, she was surprised to see an older woman following him with a wide grin on her face.

"Guys, let me introduce you to April Rhodes. She was in that Glee club that won Nationals three years in a row before graduating; she kindly agreed to share some of her experiences with us today. Floor is yours April." Mr. Schue squeezed her shoulder encouragingly before sitting in the front row, between Rachel and Finn.

"I don't know what Mr. Schue told you about competitions, but from my own experience you all need to bring the wildest side out of yourselves. Show your confidence and sexiness, despite the appearances most of the judges will appreciate some sexy moves on the stage." She winked at the guy sitting in the back, who nodded enthusiastically. "Focus on your strengths, offense is the best defense. Do not worry about competition, just think they will succumb."

"I like this woman, these pansies don't know anything about what means being a winner. Good thing we are here to lift these losers from their miseries." Santana smirked looking at her nails, the tall blonde cheerleader beside her nodded and just linked their pinkies together affectionately.

"It's so highly of you to join us, Santana. We could have never made it without your bitchy remarks and your swaying in the background." Rachel turned her head to the side to look at the cheerleader, whose stance stiffened and eyes filled with anger. "Maybe we should include a pole in our number, so you can express your best quality as stripper, Santana. Sexiness is your only strength, right?"

"You fucking dwarf!" The Latina stood up from her seat, kicking the chair to the ground as she walked down the steps toward the brunette diva who looked frightened by the sudden display of anger. She didn't realize how much the cheerleader would be angered by her comment until she was lifted to her feet by the fierce Latina, ready to punch her face.

"Santana, enough!" Although several Glee members tried to keep the feisty brunette off the singer, the only one who managed to effectively drag her away was the blonde Wide Receiver. Quinnten secured his arms around the cheerleader's midriff and distanced them from a very scared Rachel, who was cowering behind her own arms. "You could be expelled from the Cheerios for something like that, think about it." His arms were still tightly wrapped around his friend, restraining her from attacking the petite singer who looked at him in relief for his intervention. "You are a lot better than just a sexy girl, we know that San. Calm down." Quinnten released his grip on the Latina, once he was sure she would cause any harm to the other girl.

"Thank you Quinn." Mr. Schue looked grateful, since he hadn't lifted a sole finger to help sedate the fight that could have escalated in so much worse. Turning toward the two girls, he shook his head and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I am very disappointed with you and as punishment, I expect a Glee duet by Friday or you will both stay in the background for the upcoming Sectionals. No solos or chorus." The Spanish teacher earned a light nod from both brunettes before he dismissed the class, leading their guest away from the room.

"Since when you are stepping in to defend Manhands, Quinn?" Norah looked up at her boyfriend, who sighed and just walked to his seat to retrieve his bag and jacket. "I asked you a question, are you trying to get in her good books so you'll have someone to move onto when I become a whale?" She marched her way up the stairs and spun him around, fisting the front of his t-shirt. "Answer me!"

"Why? So we can fight over some non-existing reason? I stepped in because one of my dearest friends was going to get in trouble for being involved in a fight and, since I am in this club, I don't want to lose Sectionals and we might improve our chances if both Santana and Rachel perform on that stage. I don't know about you, but Glee is some place where I can forget about having to be an uptight jock whose name is just synonymous of expectations and etiquette." He looked back at his girlfriend and stood tall in front of her, not wanting to be intimidated nor chastised for something he didn't do. "I told you I don't want anyone else but you, if you can't believe me then we seriously have a problem." Quinn shook his head and walked down the steps to exit the choir room, leaving his girlfriend behind.


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't know if you are really interested in me continuing this story, but here another chapter with more Faberry interaction. Norah/Quinnten relationship has been sped up in order to give more space to Faberry...let me know if it's too rushed! thank you for the alerts and reviews! keep them coming!**

CHAPTER 3

The weeks that followed the big revelation were plain and simple hard and difficult; hormones were already kicking in, making Norah even more unbearable and unstable to deal with then, to add on, Quinnten had to juggle between football practices, keeping good grades and the new job whose shifted had prolonged in order to pay for medical bills and baby stuff. By the end of the day, he only tumbled in bed – most of the times with his clothes on – and slept till the new day, when the alarm clock felt like a bucket of cold water during winter days.

People at school had yet to find out about the pregnancy, but he suspected hell would break loose once the news spread and, knowing how it worked, he and Norah would become the first main target of slushie attacks despite their popular status. It was a fall from heaven, someone else would replace them and they'd only become faces in the crowd, losers that didn't deserve anything but cold reminders of how much they had lost. He wasn't worried though, despite the popular thoughts, he wasn't so concerned about status and being the Alpha; he just wanted a chance to prove his skills on the field and being acknowledged for that, not because he was a Fabray or dating the Head Cheerleader.

He was walking down the hallways, toward his locker after another strenuous morning practice when he spotted Rachel Berry cornered by that creepy Jacob who, apparently, had a not so secret obsession with her. By the look of disgust on her face, Quinnten could tell she was very displeased by the proximity of their bodies so he quickened his pace and stood tall behind the petite singer, who sighed in relief at the familiar presence of the taller guy.

"Hey Rachel, can I borrow your AP Chemistry notes?" Quinnten's voice was firm and reassuring, making sure to keep an eye on Jacob who appeared disappointed for having his time cut with the brunette. "Did you need something else Jacob? Cause I'd like to discuss some important matters with Rachel, alone." Taking a step forward, the Receiver stepped around the girl, who was pretending to look in her locker but just discretely let the blonde handle the situation.

"I expect an answer, Rachel, by the end of the school day." He turned around and slipped away as soon as he could, not wanting to experiment the receiving end of Quinnten Fabray's wrath; the blonde football player turned back toward his Glee captain, apprehensively looking down at her.

"Are you okay? What is he talking about?" Quinn leaned against the locker adjacent to the brunette's one, his hazelnut eyes bored into her soul and made her gulp silently before shutting the metal door with a soft thud. How could she lie to him? She would have just wanted to spill the beans out, telling him everything about the baby he was taking care of but that wasn't her place; so, when Jacob approached her about the rumors concerning Norah and the teen pregnancy, she had tried to buy his silence by letting him have a pair of her clean underwear.

"Somehow Jacob has found out about Norah's condition and before you ask, yes, I am aware of that too but since I know very well how it feels to be a loser in this school, I tried and negotiated an equal payment in exchange of his silence." Rachel's voice was a soft whisper, not wanting any other indiscrete ears find out about the big revelation that would change few lives, for sure.

"What did that perv ask you, Rachel? Cause I surely won't let you sacrifice or give into his obsession, for something that you aren't involved with. I'll handle him and make sure he won't say a word, but there's no way you are paying for this." Quinnten placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, squeezing it softly and silently thanking her for not revealing the big secret.

"RuPaul. Quinn, what are you doing with this loser?" Norah's timing couldn't be worse; she strolled up to the couple, eyeing the hand placed on the singer's shoulder with rage and suspicion. "I thought we had been clear on the matter, you-"

"Look, just because we are together it doesn't mean you can dictate who I am allowed to befriend. I already have to deal with enough of that crap at home and since you have no problems hanging out with other guys, I don't see anything wrong with talking to Rachel who is my Glee Captain." The blonde football player stood tall and stepped lightly before the girls, not wanting to put Rachel in an awkward situation because of their issues as couple. "Actually she was making us a favor and I still wonder why she would do that, after all the crap we have put her through."

"Fine, choose to associate with that loser but don't come crying to me when the jocks start showering with slushies, Quinn." Norah snickered and turned around on her white sneaker's heels, strolling down the hallways with the usual HBIC attitude that parted crowds like the Red Sea and earned respect from fear. Quinn just shook his head and stuffed his hands in the front pockets of his jeans, wondering why Norah had to switch in Bitch mode when it'd be easier to just be nice with people that they considered friends.

"Are you okay Quinn? I'd fully understand if you don't want to be seen around with me anymore, you are the football captain and I am just Rachel Berry. People will start talking and putting you in odd situations, you could risk slushie showers daily and-" her long rant was interrupted by the taller guy just taking the books from her hands and hold them under his arm, before leading their way toward their first class together. Rachel stood speechless for a few seconds, recovering from the partial shock of having Quinnten Fabray carrying her books but, when she just gained full functions of her body and mind, she quickened her pace to catch up with him and fill his ears with new ideas for their Glee assignment, whilst reaching the classroom.

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Despite her attempts to cover the HBIC and Quarterback's scandal, the news about Norah's pregnancy spread so fast that they couldn't keep the damage under control; slushie showers, insults and dirty looks were thrown their way as they strolled together in the school three days after. Quinnten stood protectively in front of his girlfriend, but nothing could have worked against a full attack coming from each direction that left them drenched in multicolored sugar filled drinks that stuck to their clothes and skins. Norah's tears soon pooled in her eyes, both for the humiliation and the ice that had been thrown in her face; fingers held bunched her boyfriend's shirt as she cried in his shoulder, still standing in the same spot they had been attacked.

The worst, though, happened when the rumor reached Coach Sylvester's ears and, as easily predicted, the crazy woman just kicked the brunette off her squad and gave the Captain title to Santana who, despite her dislike for Norah, hated seeing her best friend and his girlfriend being thrown to the bottom of the pyramid and treated like trash. The fierce Latina tried to use her influence to stop the attacks, but the student body was slowly revolting against their former rulers and there was so much she could do, before being kicked to the bottom as well and losing any power to help Quinn. The Glee Club, luckily for them, was the only place where they could feel safe and welcomed; Mr. Schue had offered all his advices and fatherly support to the young couple, having familiarity with pregnancy since his wife was pregnant with his first baby as well. The other members, furthermore, prepared a musical number to show they were still having the couple's back and they could count on them for whatever they might have needed.

'Keep Holding On' was sung beautifully and Quinnten couldn't hide the admiration for Rachel Berry, who showed a maturity that few people could claim to own; her beauty matched her talented voice and, once again, he had been left wondering how he could have never seen her before. Too absorbed by the expectations and the perfection he had to aim to, the young receiver was slowly realizing how much he was missing and envied the interaction Finn and Rachel still had. Maybe it was because they were both captains, or maybe it depended on the brief romance they had shared; the blonde just eyed his best friend with regret and jealousy, before reminding himself of being committed to his very pregnant girlfriend that needed him.

"I speak on Norah's behalf too, since we both know she is too proud to ever thank someone." Quinn slipped inside the empty choir room, surprising the brunette who was still gathering her piano sheets and practicing some scales. "Thank you for keeping our secret and trying to protect it, I appreciated it very much."

"We are friends, Quinn, and no one should be forced to share something so important without wanting to. I am afraid those people who feared and respected you, just waited for a mistake so they could take advantage of the situation." Rachel leaned against the black piano and looked at the football player, who sat down on the bench and brushed his fingers along the keys. "Do you know how to play?"

"My parents always thought music was a waste of time, but I begged long enough for them to allow me to take few lessons in exchange of football practices and top grades." He lowered his hands on the cold white keys, softly humming to himself as he tried to remember something he used to play when he was younger. His fingers moved smoothly, harmonizing a soft melody that switched between the Moonlight Sonata and a Chopin's nocturnal, whilst the brunette just stared at him in a renewed awe that made her question how she could have thought Finn would be the perfect match as duet and romantic partner.

"We should do a duet, piano and voice." Rachel's voice was soft, not wanting to interrupt the obvious state of mind Quinn had fallen into and that, as she could see, made him lose part of his inhibitions and lift the weight of his young shoulders. Being a father at such young age was a burden too hard to carry, mostly when the baby wasn't even his. "Quinn you-"

"I'd be delighted to be your partner Rachel, but what would Finn have to say? He is your co-captain and obviously, you still harbor lingering feelings for each other." The blonde's eyes settled on her puzzled chocolate orbs. "I saw the way he looked at you and I told him how stupid he was for letting someone like you go, but you know guys. We tend to be dumbasses." He chuckled softly resting his elbows on the solid piano staring up at her.

"I can assure you that my feelings toward Finn are simply platonic, of course I can't speak on his behalf but by the way he stopped approaching me outside the Glee Club, I assume he is pretty much done pursuing me. I won't hide my disappointment but I am fully aware my dreams are definitely bigger than a high school crush and Finn Hudson." She shrugged and looked down at the sheets in front of her, with a sad frown. Finn had turned her down and impregnated Norah, who he had obviously feelings for and then there was Quinnten, who pined over the same girl.

"Well then, his loss and knowing him like I do, once he'll see you as something he can't have, he'll be chasing after you with the charming dopey smile and his clumsy attractiveness." The blonde stood back up and squeezed her hand softly, having covered it with his slightly bigger one. "You are meant for greater things, do not let just a small town boy keep you grounded little star." He smiled warmly and with one last squeeze, he left the room leaving the brunette alone and incredibly confused.

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When Quinnten walked inside his mansion, he was surprised to find his father sitting in the living room nursing a glass of scotch and his mother sitting in her armchair, silent and visibly upset. It was odd, since their parents didn't usually wait for him to get back from his shift, Russell being too busy drinking in his study room while Judy prepared dinner or drank herself to sleep.

"Good evening, I am sorry for my tardiness but there was a car accident on the way back." Quinnten looked at both his stoic parents, gulping silently and wondering what was going to happen within the next minutes. "If I may be excused, Sir, I'd like to take a shower and start my homeworks for tomorrow." He went to turn around, perceiving their silence as a nod when his father's voice stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Your mother had an interesting encounter at the store, Quinnten and you'll excuse my surprise, when she came back bringing the news of the interesting condition that Puckerman girl is into." Russell's voice was cold and distant, freezing the boy's bones to the core. "Do you have anything to say to explain this to me, because I had the impression me and your mother raised you better than engaging in sinful acts out of wedlock!" His tone had definitely taken an angrier and scaring turn, that made the younger blonde look down in shame. "You have 30 minutes, Quinnten. 30 minutes to pack your bags and leave this house, car and home keys by the door."

"Dad, please. I don't have anywhere to go, I promise I'll take responsibility of my actions but I…I need my family." He pleaded softly and dared to look in his father's absent eyes, before a hand collided with his cheek hard enough to make him stumble back. "Dad…"

"I don't recognize you anymore, Quinnten and from now on, I have no son. 30 minutes, I'll set the microwave timer." Russell pushed his way past him toward the kitchen, leaving the other members of the family in the silent living room; although, he knew Judy would have never gone against his word, not even for her only son.

"Mom, please." The young boy looked at his silent mother, who shook her head and clamped a hand over her mouth, silently crying but powerless compared to Fabray Senior. Quinnten wiped at his eyes angrily and marched his way up the stairs to his room, throwing as much stuff as he could inside his football bag and suitcase, making sure to bring all the money he had saved throughout the years and the first ultrasound Norah had gone through. When the familiar sound of the timer could be heard, he had already walked through the door carrying his bags and the weight of his failed expectations on his shoulders.

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The very first thought was walking his way to Norah's house but, knowing the financial situation the brunette was already going through and her mother's open dislike for the boy who had gotten her baby pregnant, he thought better than going there. He had not so many options. Finn's house had always been open for him and Carole welcomed him like a second son; although, he didn't want to burden the single mother even further, by taking care of two young teens. Then there was Santana, who he considered one of his best friends too but Lima Heights was across town and he wasn't sure he would manage to go there, by feet and carrying his stuff. Finn's house was the closest one and he could just ask to crash there for a couple of nights, before finding something more stable despite his young age.

"Dude?! What are you doing here? I didn't know we had planned a COD tournament tonight." Finn opened his door and let the tired blonde inside, furrowing his brows in confusion at the sight of suitcases with the guy's stuff. "Are your parents moving or something?"

"Or something. Could I crash here for tonight or a couple of nights? It's a long story and I am really exhausted, dude." Quinnten shrugged the laptop bag off his shoulders, slumping in the closest armchair and closing his tired eyes. "They know about Norah, Finn and my father kicked me out."

"That's insane, of course you can stay here. It's gonna be like having guys' times all week long!" He plopped down beside him and turned the TV on, zapping through the channels before stopping at some action movie that soon caught his attention. That was totally Finn's. The amount of attention he gave to things, was even worse than kids' but Quinnten didn't bother to look much into it; he just leaned back into the slightly uncomfortable seat and just let the exhaustion take over him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Wow! Thank you so much for so many reviews and alerts and favorites! That really inspires me to write more, I am slightly following the events throughout the seasons but I hope you'll enjoy the ride anw! :D Here another chapter for your weekend!**

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CHAPTER 4

Waking up and dealing with a stiff neck was never a pleasuring experience, but nothing was worse than realizing you had no longer a place to call home or a family to turn to; Quinnten had asked Finn's mother to stay there just for a few days, offering to pay for food and part of the bills but the woman, that he considered like a second mother, just shook her head and invited him to stay as long as he needed to. The football captain was relieved to have found a roof over his head, at least for a while, until he could figure out another better arrangement on his own.

When he walked down the hallways with Finn, he was soon approached by his girlfriend who tapped her foot on the ground and already wore a scold on her face; the blonde turned toward his best friend for help, but he had already skipped down the hallways to flirt with some pretty cheerleader leaving the couple alone. Despite the lack of the familiar uniform, that usually enhanced her power, Norah looked scarier and angrier than usual. Both not good signs for Quinnten.

"Where were you this morning? I thought we had agreed on you picking me up in the morning, since my car is at the repair shop and soon I won't be able to even reach the wheel because of your baby." The brunette's finger tapped against his broad chest, pushing slightly against it and practically erasing any advantage the receiver had and that came from his taller frame.

"My parents kicked me out because they found out about the baby, from your mother. So excuse me, if I couldn't pick you up this morning. I am crashing at Finn's for a while and then find a flat or something." Quinn sighed deeply and ran a hand through his short hair, eyes roaming past his girlfriend's shoulder to land on a familiar brunette standing by her locker.

"A flat? You can't afford it now that my medical bills are going to get higher, do you expect me to pay for the spawn you put in my belly?" The ex-cheerio threw her hands up in frustration, not caring to make a scene in front of the whole school. They already knew, anyway. "I thought you were the smart one among your football friends."

"God, will you stop giving me such a hard time? We both made a mistake and I am paying enough to make up for it. I just told you I have been kicked out of my house because of you, couldn't you be more understanding for once?" The blonde took a step back and just walked past his girlfriend, not wanting to lose it and turn into something that reminded him of that man he used to call father.

"Eavesdropping much, Manhands?" Norah's eyes bore into Rachel's ones, lips pressed in a thin frown and fists bunched at her sides of the dress she was wearing. Maybe she had just been too hard on Quinn, blaming for a situation that he wasn't even responsible for and now he was homeless. She was such a bitch, she thought.

"Hey, are you okay?" Finn approached her quietly, not wanting to irate the pregnant brunette even further. "Look, I started working for Kurt's dad every other weekend and I put some money together. Quinn is dealing with so much stuff right now, let me help?" He whispered softly and leaned down to clasp their hands together, even just for a brief squeeze.

"I…thanks Finn, let me think about it first. I need to go find him now." She pulled her hand away from his and walked down the almost empty hallways, following the blonde receiver's path. The tall guy just turned his head to catch a glimpse of dress disappearing behind the corner and then another brunette fell into his line of sight, looking at him with a disappointed frown.

"How can you do that to him? He is your best friend, Finn Hudson, and I really thought you were better than just pursuing his girlfriend behind his back." The petite singer hugged the books to her chest, challenging the quarterback with her fierce eyes. "That guy would do everything for you and you repaid him like that? At least, you owe him the truth and put him out of this misery. It's not fair he gets to clean up after the mess you made."

"Look Rach, I tried talking to her and she doesn't want my help. She chose him and it's rich coming from you, just few weeks ago you followed me like a puppy and I was honestly scared I'd find you under my bed or in my closet. Are you going after Quinn now? Good luck with that, once he realizes how difficult you are he'll drop you on your butt like everyone else did." Finn watched the tears pool in her eyes, before she stormed out and hid in the closest girl bathroom leaving him there.

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When Quinnten emerged from the lockers room, he was surprised to find his girlfriend leaning against the wall across from him and staring down at the floor; even if she had just added more frustration to his already troubled day, the first thought was that the baby wasn't okay or that she wasn't feeling well. In two steps, he stood in front of her with a gentle palm pressed over her small bump and worry filled his softened eyes, that searched for hers.

"Are you okay? Is the baby okay?" Quinnten's hand gently caressed the girl's stomach before he was enveloped in a bone crushing hug, that made him temporarily forget about the argument they just had. "Norah…"

"I am sorry, god I am so sorry for being such a bitch to you." Her hands cupped each side of his face and pressed their lips for a series of soft and urgent kisses, holding him against her as they leaned back into the wall behind. "Can we…can we be in love again, Quinn?" Her voice pleaded softly as their lips kept on brushing softly, not caring they were in the middle of the hallways.

"Yes, of course we can." The blonde nodded gently, arms slid around his girlfriend's slender hips and hugged her tightly to him as they moved backwards into the locker rooms, where they could keep on kissing without being on the spotlight. The wide receiver sat on the edge of the bench and tugged the girl in his lap, hands stroking up and down her back through the dress she was wearing as their lips moved hungrily. Soft fingers slipped down the front of his button down shirt, undoing each button with expertise as her hips undulated against his, feeling his hard-on brush along her inner thigh.

"Such a cliché, the football captain and the cheerio getting caught fornicating in the locker room." Norah's lips brushed behind Quinn's earlobe as her hands slipped the shirt off his ample shoulders, feeling the tensed muscles under her palms. "I like that your muscles are firm and lean in the right places, no chicken arms but not even those over-pumped ones that make a girl feel like hugging a giant."

"Don't let Dave hear that." The blonde's fingers played with the hem of her dress, daring to slip underneath to touch the creamy skin of her outer thighs, that wrapped tighter around his hips. "Babe, I don't…I don't think I can go all the way though." He whispered and dropped his head against her shoulder, hiding his flushed face and not wanting to piss her off once again. "But I can take care of you, I read that women might feel more excited during pregnancies."

"Looks like someone did their homeworks." Norah's lips lifted off his lap only to lower her soaked underwear past her knees, before straddling him once again and leading his right hand upwards between them. "Why don't you show me what else you read, stud?" Lips crashed together once again, as she pushed him down on the bench and laid draped over him.

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When they showed up in the choir room, Norah was hanging off Quinn's arm and both clearly failed to hide their newfound reconnection since their lips barely parted until they sat in the back row; the brunette's hand sandwiched her boyfriend's left one, stroking its back with her forefinger as her mouth peppered the skin below his ear or just teased his shell. Mr. Schue hadn't arrived yet, so it gave her time to mark her territory and show everyone, but mostly the petite singer in front row, that he was very much taken and that she had chosen him.

"Babe, we'll do this later…Mr. Schue is here." Quinnten's face turned to place a soft kiss on her pouty lips before pulling back, he sat straight in his chair and looked ahead of him, not missing the small frown on Rachel's face who quickly diverted from his eyes.

"Okay class! Since Sectionals are coming up, I think we can all benefit from some exercise that will strengthen the collaboration with each other, so I decided to split you in groups of two and you'll have to perform a song for us; the best performance will be our opening number at Sectionals." The curly haired teacher grabbed a list with the names he had already prepared. "No changes are allowed nor I will give any explanation for my choices. Let's start: Mike and Tina, Artie and Mercedes, Santana and Matt, Kurt and Brittany, Finn and Norah and Rachel and Quinnten." He looked up from his list to meet some angry or incredulous glances, along with happy and nonchalant ones. "That's it, I expect a song by the end of the week. Take the rest of the class to start working."

"God it's freaking unbelievable, you get paired with the Hobbit." Norah crossed her arms over her chest, sending death glares at the brunette who was approaching the couple timidly. "What the hell you want, Manhands?"

"Norah, stop it. It's not fair you take it on Rachel, she didn't choose to work with me." Quinn kissed the top of his girlfriend's head and stood up to meet the petite singer halfway. "Hey Rachel, guess we are going to find out how we work as duet partners, after all."

"I guess so, but I am afraid it just gave Norah another reason to dislike me even more." The brunette shivered lightly at the intensity of the ex-cheerio's stare, who sat up and eyed them suspiciously. "I was wondering if you'd like to come over at my house around 7, so we can look at my music sheets and find a song that could both suit our voices."

"That sounds like a good idea, I'll drop by soon after my shift and make sure not to eat dinner okay?" The blonde player smiled warmly at her before walking back toward his girlfriend, who stood up and pulled him in a passionate kiss on purpose, needing to show the singer who Quinn belonged to. "Babe…"

"Let's get out of here, I wanna spend some quality time with my baby daddy before I lose you to other stuff." Norah stood up on her tiptoes to press another kiss on her boyfriend's lips, before taking his hand and leading down the stairs of the choir room, without sparing another glance to the other members left there. Finn included.

"So you are going to work with Quinn? How do you plan to make an impression on him, Rachel?" Kurt approached the saddened diva, whose brows furrowed in confusion at the question. "Honey, your clothes are awful to stare at and god your hair, such a shame you are hiding under all of that because you could look prettier than Norah Puckerman and stroll down these hallways with her current boyfriend."

"You…you think?" Rachel's insecurities had always been there, somehow she had managed to push them aside after the Finn fiasco but the new tentative friendship with Quinn and her not so subtle crush on him, were making them surface again.

"I overheard he'll be at your house at 7, right? That will give me all the time needed to give you a nice make over and hopefully, you won't look that hideous to welcome the popular football captain in your house." He smirked at her smile, so innocent not to know he was setting her up for having gone after Finn Hudson when he had laid eyes on him first.

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When Quinnten arrived at the Berry's place, he was surprised to find Rachel answering the door clad in a fluffy bath robe and a towel around her hair; had he known she was showering, he would have waited outside or just ran few minutes late. He carried the pizza boxes inside the living room, along with his backpack and some sodas he had bought on his way there, wanting to thank the brunette for the hospitality by buying them dinner.

"Rachel, you could have told me you were showering and I would have-" Quinn had shrugged his letterman jacket off and draped it over the back of the Berry's couch, before turning around to address the girl who stood by the doorway. His words, though, got caught in his throat when he saw the robe and the towel had been discarded, leaving the petite singer clad in a black suite and high heels (reminding him of Sandy in Grease) that almost erased their height difference. "You look…different, indeed."

"Is this more of your liking, Quinn? I always thought you liked confident and stronger girls, from now on forget about the old Rachel Barbra Berry and welcome this new one." She stalked her way over him, only to find that walking on high heels was harder than she thought. One wrong step, she stumbled forward and luckily enough, the Wide Receiver was quick to catch her or she'd be welcoming the new herself in a hospital bed with a concussion and a broken coffee table.

"Rachel, why are you doing this?" Quinn's voice was soft, not a trace of anger or derision could be found in his tone. His eyes were gentle and encouraged her to just open up, not wanting to take advantage of the situation like anyone else could have. "Is this about what Norah always says? Cause, you have nothing to prove to me or anyone else in school. You don't need to reinvent yourself, Rachel Berry, cause the old you was equally good." He helped her sitting on the couch and kneeled at her feet, helping taking the heels off before sitting beside her.

"I feel so stupid and humiliated, I just wanted to be liked. No one wants me, Quinn and I thought it was because of the way I look or behave. I am fully aware of being a self-conceited diva but, no offense, your girlfriend is a top class bitch and yet she found someone great like you are." The brunette sniffed gently, hands resting in her lap as she looked down and just let the tears fall on her black pants.

"Believe me, I know she can be a bitch and most of the times she is very hard to deal with, but everyone has a good and bad side. You are an amazing girl, Rachel, and you'll find someone who will be able to appreciate all your good qualities and your flaws, trust me." He grabbed his handkerchief and gently wiped the tears off her face, smiling at the sight of the familiar girl he had started developing feelings for. "There you are, the girl I know and I got paired with."

"Thank you, Quinnten. I never had someone I could trust or talk to and I am glad we are building a friendship." She smiled back at him and picked at the fabric of her pants, nervously. "Can I hug you now?" She asked softly, bracing herself for rejection but instead found herself wrapped in a pair of strong arms, that quickly erased any discomfort or worry. She just closed her eyes and buried her head into his shoulder, hearing the light scent of his cologne fill her nostrils, whilst his hand played with the ends of her curly hair.

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"We shouldn't have done this, god he lives here with you now." Norah sat up in the unmade bed, holding the blanket around her bare chest with one hand as the other hand tried and fixed her messy locks; breathing deeply she looked around the quarterback's room avoiding her bedmate.

"Didn't hear you exactly complain few minutes ago." Finn sat up behind her, sliding his arms around her waist, he rested his chin on her shoulder and nuzzled his nose behind her ear. "I don't want to keep lying to him and myself, I have feelings for you and it hurts seeing you with him. It's our baby inside you, I should be providing for him or her." His larger hand slipped under the blanket and rubbed the bump, where her flat stomach used to be.

"We talked already about this, Finn. I…I don't know how to tell him that this baby isn't his, he got kicked out of his house because of me; I never meant to hurt him, we…we made a mistake and god we keep doing this." The ex-cheerio pulled away from his embrace, finding her clothes and putting them hastily back on. "Get dressed Finn, before either your mom or Quinn come back."

"We've been hurting him enough, Norah and Rachel is right, it's not fair he gets to clean up after my mess." The taller guy slipped his boxers back up his legs followed by a pair of jeans and a polo shirt but forgoing the shoes. "If you don't want to tell him, I'll do that but better to hear it from one of us than finding out from someone else."

"Rachel? Manhands know it's not Quinn's? When were you going to inform me of that?" Norah walked up to him and raised her eyebrows in perfect HBIC stance, making the quarterback stumbled as he attempted to move backwards and away from her. "That's her plan huh? Telling him, so she can have him? No fucking way."

"I don't think she wants to do that or she would have done that by now, Norah. She just cares about not wanting him to get hurt, we should do the same-" his words were stopped by the angry look in her eyes, that made him gulp and just shut up.

"What's wrong with you guys and RuPaul? Since when she knows this stuff, when she barely had a boyfriend for a couple of hours before you dumped her to move to better things. Don't you dare to bring her up again, Finn, and not a fucking word to Quinn unless I say so." She slipped her shoes back on and grabbed the purse from the nightstand before turning back to the silent guy. "You need to drive me back home and leave the window open, it reeks of sex here." She marched downstairs to wait for him, as he got his shoes back on and did as she said, before following her to take the girl home.

**to be continued...**


	5. Chapter 5

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CHAPTER 5

Friday came sooner than anyone had expected, most of the couples had found some trouble working on their songs because school events or other stuff (as in for Finn and Norah's case) kept them from concentrating on the assignment, the way they should have. Of course Rachel, being the overachiever perfectionist she was, had managed to find a way around Quinnten's busy schedule and they had tried their duet for days until she found it good enough to be performed. After the events of that very first night, their friendship had progressed without any other bump and the brunette had found quite impossible not to deepen her romantic feelings for the blonde guy, who turned out to be quite charming without even trying to impress or get in her pants.

"My hands are sweaty and I am not sure I can really do this, Rach." Quinnten sat on the piano bench in the choir room, waiting for Mike and Tina to take their seats as it was their turn to perform in front of everyone else. The Asian Duo performance was good, the gothic brunette had a powerful voice that could rival Rachel's one if not for some uncertainties on the higher notes and the lack of professional training; Mike, of course, outdid himself with his perfect choreography that had left the blonde player stunned.

"You are Quinnten Fabray, captain of the football team; of course you can do this, Quinn." Rachel's hands rested on his shoulders, gently kneading them in a reassuring manner as they ignored the death glare another brunette was sending them, from across the room. "You are not the one who is victim of a very angry ex-cheerleader's glare."

"We are not doing anything wrong, she really needs to relax for the baby's sake." The blonde player turned around to look at his girlfriend, who averted her eyes and engaged a light conversation with Finn ignoring the other football player. "Now she is ignoring me, that woman is going to drive me crazy and she's not even halfway through her pregnancy."

"Don't think about that now, concentrate on the music and my voice. We are going to win this, I am sure of that." Rachel beamed with pride and squeezed his shoulders one more time, before slipping around the big piano to stand in front of the other students who turned around to face them. "Glee Club, without any further delay we are delighted to present you, our song choice." She sent a small nod to the football player, who straightened his stance and spread his fingers over the keyboard, taking a quick moment to collect himself.

When his fingers started moving slowly over the piano keys, they knew for sure they had everyone's attention; eyes switched to the blonde player, who had surprisingly revealed a hidden talent that not even his girlfriend was aware of. His voice was soft and low, contrasting the higher and stronger tone that belonged to Rachel's; although, neither of the two dominated, it was a smooth combination that brought more power to the song they had chosen to perform. Snow Patrol's duet had been Quinn's suggestion, after going through the brunette's iTunes but not finding any song that he knew or that required less than a few days to be rehearsed to perfection.

"_I'm miles from where you are,_

_I lay down on the cold ground_

_I, I pray that something picks me up_

_And sets me down in your warm arms_"

Rachel backed herself toward the piano, turning around she looked at the piano player as their voices raised in a slow crescendo, a part they had to try over and over again because they either had different tempos or hit wrong notes. Her eyes took in Quinn's relaxed posture, his shoulders had definitely lowered and his hands looked entrancing as they moved expertly on the keyboard; she just wished to lean forward and sing the words escaping from his perfect mouth, breathing in the music escaping from his lungs. When his hazelnut eyes met hers, she just smiled as their voices faded in the background and the music stopped, momentarily forgetting it wasn't just the two of them in the room.

The sound of loud clapping and comments broke their moment, forcing them to take their eyes off each other and meet the other members to take in their reactions; Quinn stood up from the piano bench, meeting his duet partner at the front of the room, who kept her proud smile and squeezed his hand quickly, in reassurance. Norah was fuming, of course, after having witnessed such a charged duet her doubts about Quinn and Rachel were running even deeper; she was angry at him, she was angry at the diva standing beside him but, mostly, she was angry at herself for having messed up big time.

"Holy hell, that was so good that you almost charmed the spanks off me." Santana's grin made the couple blush, before earning a soft smack from the blonde cheerleader standing beside her. She kept on clapping and sent a wink to her best friend, earning a wink back.

"What can I say, guys? I guess we have a winner." Mr. Schue met Quinn and Rachel by the piano, arms draped over their shoulders as the other members couldn't help but accept the verdict. They had won fair and square, no one could say anything about that. "I expect so much from you two now, the success of our opening number relies on both of you."

"What? Mr. Schue, as co-captain I should be the one performing our opening number. No offense Quinn, but me and Rachel go way back. I am the lead man." Finn stood up from his chair and huffed in protest, earning groans and rolling eyes from Santana and the other guys in the room.

"If you were so interested in performing at Sectionals, you should have made efforts for the assignment of the week. I was very clear on the rules, Finn, and it wouldn't be fair to Quinnten if I just chose you over him." The Spanish teacher shook his head at the taller guy, not wanting to give into his spoiled kid act. "You'll still have the chance to perform as group, that matters too."

"Whatever." He sat back down with arms crossed over his chest, lips forming a childish pout that just served the purpose to increase the dislike level toward him; he looked over at Norah for some sympathy, but she was too busy staring at her boyfriend sitting front row with Rachel basking in the aftermath of their victory. "This day sucks."

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Sectionals were just 5 days away, so the New Directions' efforts were all projected toward their duet and group numbers; Quinn and Rachel being the most involved, since they carried the weight of opening their performance and make the first good impression on the audience and the judges. The couple was sitting in the empty auditorium, taking a break from the dance choreography that Mike and Brittany had put together for them along with tips on how to perform it.

"My muscles are aching worse than after an intense football practice." Quinn lied sprawled on the stage floor, eyes closed and arms at his sides as he took few minutes to gain the feeling in his limbs back; he had to be very careful with all the grabbing and hoisting the brunette up, not wanting to cause her any harm because of his weak muscles.

"You are being overdramatic, Mike and Brittany gave us all the necessary instructions to be safe and look like professional dancers on that stage. I trust you and your strength not to drop me on my butt or worse my head, giving me a concussion during our first competition." Rachel crawled slowly toward the tired player, who groaned at the mention of falling and concussions, not wanting to go there with his mind. "I packed us some light energizer snacks, do you want some?"

"I could use something to eat right now." He sat up slowly, not bothering to fix his wife beater that was riding higher around his waist leaving the lower part of his toned abs exposed to the brunette's hungry eyes. Fingers moved on their own accord and brushed slowly over the grooves between them, making the blonde guy's eyes flutter gently and breath catch in his throat.

"God I can't believe how someone could ever cheat on a perfect guy like you" She muttered to herself without even realizing what had just escaped from her mouth, eyes snapped open and hands froze in mid-air. "Oh god, I shouldn't have said that." The brunette quickly raised to her feet and grabbed her bag, ready to bolt out of the room not to deal with the mess she had just made.

"What do you mean by that, Rachel?" Quinn shot up to his own feet, hand gently grasping the brunette's wrist and preventing her from leaving the auditorium unless she gave him answers. "You don't mutter something like that, just for the heck of it. What do you know?"

"Quinn, please. It's not my place and none of my business, you shouldn't talk to me about your relationship with your girlfriend." The singer tried to slip her wrist out of his grasp, but he just tightened it without hurting her. "Quinn, just forget what I said. It was temporary insanity, I was caught in the moment and was fantasizing about-"

"No more lies, Rachel." He snapped releasing her wrist, eyes meeting hers and boring holes straight in her soul. "Please, I really can't deal with more lies. My life has been nothing but a mess since that news few months ago, tell me what you know. I am begging you." Quinn's voice had softened, dripping with sadness and hope that everything would be just a nightmare.

Rachel couldn't really say no after having debated with her conscience, since that afternoon she had eavesdropped Norah's conversation with Finn in the hallways; sighing one more time, she recounted the events of that day and how she had approached the quarterback about coming clean or just how much she had wanted to tell him, in the name of that friendship they had started forging. Quinn just stood there, silently taking in all the information the shorter brunette was delivering as his heart broke and life shattered before his eyes.

"Quinnten, I am so sorry…I never wanted to keep this from you, not since I started fall-" Rachel's declaration of love was stopped by the blonde's voice, that cracked from the disappointment and all the pain he was feeling at the moment.

"I can't…I really can't deal with that too Rachel, I threw my life away for something that turned out to be a big fat lie. I just…I just need to go. Please understand that." Quinn's hands reached for his bag and jacket, before jumping off the stage and making a quick dash toward the doors, unable to deal with all the internal turmoil coming from the brunette's revelation.

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The following day, Rachel found herself in the choir room waiting for everyone else but her mind and heart weren't really there; she had tried calling and texting the blonde Receiver, only to find it switched off and that worried her a great time. She knew he was living with Finn, but after the big revelation she was quite sure he wouldn't be able to be there anymore, living with the guy he had considered his best friend for his whole high school life and that had slept with his girlfriend, behind his back.

"RuPaul, have you seen Quinn? He hasn't returned my calls and he hasn't gone back at Finn's either." Norah stalked her way up to the other brunette, looking down at her from her slightly taller advantage and crossing her arms over her chest. "So? Will you give me an answer? You don't seem to have any problem with vomiting words at every chance you get."

"Leave her alone, you wanted to see me? Here I am." Quinnten appeared in the doorway, hands tucked in the pockets of his letterman jacket and a cold glare, that could make Russell very proud indeed; everyone in the room took note of the tension in his stance, something that reminded them of how powerful and scary he could become.

"Quinn! I've been looking for you everywhere, we have an appointment for this afternoon and I wanted to be sure you'd remember." The ex-cheerio approached her boyfriend, arms raised to slip them around his neck and pull him down in a soft kiss, but he didn't move nor reciprocated the small peck. "What's wrong?"

"I am going to ask this just once and you better be honest with me, the baby you are expecting is mine or Finn's, Norah?" He looked down into her eyes and cupped her chin, preventing her from looking away from his penetrating glare. When she dropped her arms from around his neck, he realized he didn't need any answer anymore. "Thank you, for the lack of honesty and turning my life upside down." He chuckled humorlessly and pulled her away from him, enough not to let the memories of their embraces fill his mind and get him even more upset.

"I am so sorry…I…I wanted so bad for this baby to be yours, I never meant to hurt you." Norah's hands reached for his, but he just turned his back to her and closed his hands in tight fists. "Quinn, please. I am so sorry and I love you, that's why I wanted this baby with you because I love you and didn't want a mistake to ruin what we have."

"Bitch! I always knew you were a fucking manipulative bitch!" Santana's angry voice resonated from the back of the room, she had never liked the Head Cheerleader but she definitely had one more reason to dislike her since she had broken her best friend's heart and lied about the baby. "You are nothing but a fucking bitch and if you weren't pregnant, I'd kick your fat ass!" She lunged at her, but the blonde captain's arms pulled her back in a safe grip. "Let me deal with her, Q!"

"Guys, sorry I am late. Did I miss something?" Finn's momentum couldn't be worse. He looked around the choir room, from the shocked look on Kurt and Mercedes' faces to Rachel's guilty one and the raging Santana who was cussing and trying to fight Quinn's hold, to reach the sobbing Norah. "What is going on here?"

"WHY DON'T YOU EXPLAIN IT YOURSELF STUPID GIANT!" The Latina turned her angry glare to the Quarterback, who instinctively moved behind the ex-cheerio in a protective stance; the Wide Receiver just let her best friend go, knowing that Brittany and Mike would be enough to keep her from doing something extremely stupid to ruin her school records.

"HOW LONG FINN? HOW FUCKING LONG YOU HAVE BEEN SLEEPING WITH MY GIRLFRIEND?!" Quinn's voice raised for the first time, despite not having lashed out at the girl he wasn't going to hold himself back from unloading all of his disappointment and anger on his ex-best friend. "How did it go huh? You fucked and made fun of me behind my back, then when you realized the mess you made you just thought better of letting me take your fall? How generous of you. Here I thought, we were best friends!" He walked up to him and grabbed the front of his shirt, bunching it tightly with his fists.

"Quinn, I am sorry man. I didn't want to screw you up, it just happened and then we thought you'd be a better dad than I am. You always were the better guy between us, Quinn." The taller guy tried to pull back from his hold, not wanting to confront him physically on the school ground since they'd get in trouble. "I am so sorry, I should have told you and-"

"I had to find out from Rachel, cause she cared enough about me and didn't want me to make a fool of myself any longer. God, to think I found a fucking job to pay for your lazy ass' mistake, while you sat hours at home playing with your stupid videogames and fucked her behind my back! I lost my family because you couldn't keep it in your pants! My world crashed because you were so fucking stupid not to use a fucking condom and I had to feel guilty about it, for the whole fucking time!" He shoved him roughly back and shouted at him, wanting so badly to just punch his dumb baby face and constipated look. "I am done! I fucking loved that baby and now I have nothing left because of you!"

"Quinn, please…" Norah moved toward him, trying to take his hand or just brush a hand over his arm but had her hand slapped away in frustration, making her take a step back from the raging blonde. "I am so sorry Quinn.."

"You better be, you two deserve each other and I don't want to hear nor see you anymore, I am fucking done! You are just dead to me." Quinn turned around and just stormed out of the choir room, slamming the door close behind himself before taking off down the hallways toward the school exits. Santana just shook her head and ran after her best friend, leaving the other Gleeks to deal with the aftermath of the Babygate, that was surely going to cause so many issues to the club itself.

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As easily predicted, the New Directions' future was heavily connected the aftermath of the Babygate scandal, the group barely bothered to gather in the choir room and Mr. Schue's words about collaboration and focus on their upcoming Sectionals just met deaf ears. Santana's revenge on the adulterous couple had been nothing but hard and bitter, being mindful of Norah's safety she made sure Finn was daily reminded who he had fucked up with. Slushie showers and dumpsters were his daily punishment, along with insults and humiliation in the locker rooms even if Quinnten wasn't even there anymore. Norah, on the other hand, had been totally isolated from her past friends and had dropped from Miss Popularity to the last ring of the school chain; her position had been aggravated by the pregnancy, but the newest development just threw her to the bottom without any second thought.

The days following the big confrontation in the choir room had registered the absence of Quinnten from the school ground, he had already packed his bags the morning before it but then he had disappeared off everyone's radar. Santana and Rachel's one, included. Both brunette were deeply worried about the football captain who, as Coach Tanaka had communicated everyone else, had left the team without any further explanation but it was common knowledge why he had done that. They had tried his phone or his workplace, but it was like he had never been there or had just skipped to the next town, wanting to leave Lima and everything else behind himself.

The day of Sectionals was dreadful, indeed. The New Directions stood in the changing rooms, wearing their performance costumes and worrying about the lack of one member that could jeopardize the whole competition for them; Mr. Schue had left to go talk to the judges concerning the issues and the rules, but the chances for them to keep on competing were really small. Everyone's eyes and disappointment were turned to Norah and Finn, who were quietly talking in a corner of the room and having an argument themselves.

"I talked with the judges and I tried to explain why we lack a member." The sound of Mr. Schue's voice snapped the glee members' eyes from the fighting couple, looking at their teacher with hopeful faces that soon dropped, though. "I am afraid that if we can't find a twelfth member within the next 30 minutes, we won't be able to go up on that stage."

"That's not fair, Mr. Schue." Rachel protested weakly, orbs sneaking a glance to the silent couple behind them that looked down at the ground in a guilt. "The circumstances that led to our situation are not surely contemplated by their book rule, there must be some exceptions. We worked hard to get here and we can't let a couple of morons ruin this for all of us."

"RuPaul, if you had kept your mouth-" Norah's frustrated voice addressed to the petite singer, but stopped dead in its tracks when she spotted a familiar figure standing in the doorway of the changing room. "Quinn…" She had barely let out a whisper, but it was loud enough to make the Gleeks' heads turn to face her eyesight's direction and just fall silent for the surprise.

"Actually, I'd be delighted to hear you blame someone else for your lack of commitment to me, but I better start getting dressed before I change my mind or rearrange your fuck buddy's face." Quinn snarled at his ex-girlfriend, who barely nodded and turned around to face the real baby daddy standing behind her. "I couldn't honestly let you guys down, despite how hard is to be in the same room with some people."

"Glad to have you back, Q." Santana's arms engulfed the football player in a quick but warm embrace, making sure to fix him with one of her hard glares when she pulled back. "Do not ignore me like that ever again, Quinnten Fabray. Or I'll go Lima Heights on your ass."

"You never fail to make me feel welcome, San." The ex-player grabbed his dark pants and shirt from the couch, before moving into the adjacent room to change into the outfit and get himself mentally ready to perform. He had just zipped his pants up and thrown his shirt on when someone slipped inside the room, making him look up from buttoning the black shirt up. "We should stop meeting while one of us is half naked or wearing a towel, Berry."

"I was worried you were done with me too, after all I am not really better than Finn or Norah for having kept the secret from you too." Rachel's eyes averted to the floor, not wanting to watch the anger or – worse – disappointment wash over the blonde's face. "I am sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but I just wanted them to come clean to you and spare you the hurt."

Quinn sighed and looked at the clock quickly, not wanting to miss their clue on stage but luckily they had still 20 minutes before they had to perform. "I am not gonna lie and say I wasn't upset with you at first, I felt somehow betrayed because I thought we were forging a honest friendship but then I realized I would have done the same. It wasn't your place to tell me that and I could never hold it against you, cause I know you were just trying to protect me and I am grateful to know you have my back." The taller guy stepped closer to the brunette, who had lifted her head to look up into the hazelnut eyes she had missed in the past days. "We have…some unfinished business to talk about and I promise you, we will get there. But now, my heart is not in the right place to even consider of letting someone else in, despite the way you make me feel and I don't want to lead you on nor make you wait for me, indefinitely. It's not fair to you."

"I don't want to pressure you either, I realize it will be difficult to get over someone you had built your life around." The brunette nodded sadly, knowing that Norah will probably always hold a big place inside the blonde's life and heart; something that she would have to deal with and learn to accept, for a long time. When gentle hands cupped each side of her face and lips pressed against the angle of her mouth, she just closed her eyes letting herself fall into the feeling of butterflies filling her stomach or of heart fluttering in her chest. "Quinnten…"

"I need time because you are unique, Rachel Berry, and I'd hate myself if I didn't treat you right or made you feel like a replacement for someone who doesn't hold a candle compared to you." Pulling slightly back, the ex-football player stared straight into her chocolate eyes and held her gaze for long endless seconds. "If something is going to happen between us, I want to do it right and be completely invested in it, with every inch of my being."

"You just make it hard not to literally kiss you senselessly right now, but I'll settle on being patient and wait for you to figure everything out on your own. Will you be back in school and in Glee?" Rachel's hands grasped his wrists, gently caressing them with each side of her thumbs as they kept staring at each other. "We all miss you…I miss you and it's not fair you can't be with your friends, because of what happened."

"Gimme some time to make up my mind about that too, little star." He whispered and just pulled the girl into a tight embrace, relishing in the feeling of her smaller frame curled against his front that had the odd power of making him forget about the past days and all the troubles in his young life.


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the delay and the shorter chapter. More a filling chapter to build a solid base for Faberry in the future chapters. Enjoy!**

CHAPTER 6

Sectionals had luckily gone better than the premises, despite all the Babygate issues and the coldness between the ex-captain of the football team and his best friend and ex-girlfriend; although, the duet with Rachel had proved Will and the audience there were other and better combinations than having Finn as male leader and the Wide Receiver had showed his inner talent. They had placed first and were ready to hit Regionals, to face off with their main rival choir group 'Vocal Adrenaline; when they got back in school the Monday after, Rachel kept on thinking about the events that had taken place in the changing room before the competition and how things with Quinnten were still left unresolved.

The brunette was currently standing by her locker, retrieving some of her books when Santana and Brittany approached her, clad in their perfect Cheerio uniforms; the blonde smiled happily at her whilst her partners, as usual, wore a scowl and her trademark bitchy glare. The singer closed the metal door and turned around to give the two girls full attention, when something down the hallway caught her eyes and left her totally speechless and, somehow, drooling at the same time. "Oh god." She muttered to herself unable to look away from the main door, making Santana's eyebrow rise in puzzlement.

"Thought you Jews didn't swear like us and what the hell you are staring at, I am talking to you!" The Latina turned her head to follow the girl's eyesight, letting her jaw drop and eyes almost bulge out of their sockets. "What the fuck has he done to himself? I am gonna kill Finnept and that bitch!" She growled as her eyes stayed on the familiar figure approaching, with nonchalance.

"He looks hot, San." Brittany smiled brightly and grabbed on her girlfriend's hand, she tugged at it as Quinnten walked past them, sending a quick wink to the Glee captain and moving forward, watching girls swoon over his new look. A pink faux-hawk had replaced his straight and perfect blonde hair, polo shirts and design jeans had been thrown away in favor of a sleeveless black band shirt and ripped jeans that had definitely seen better days. Combat boots and a leather bag completed the look, that was definitely leaving a mark and parted the crowd more than when he was the football captain.

"We need to make an intervention, promptly." Santana muttered to herself and got a slight nod from her girlfriend, who led them down the hallway toward their first period as Rachel stood dazed by the lockers, still processing the new Quinnten Fabray's look that had caused her mouth to run dry and sudden tingles pooling in other parts of her body.

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The first Glee meeting after Sectionals had witnessed the lack of one member, the male leader that had led them to a victory along with his duet partner; everyone's eyes turned on Rachel, Santana and Brittany who were supposed to be the closest to the guy, since the betrayal he had been victim of. The diva shook her head in embarrassment, wishing she had been able to catch Quinn for the whole day but he seemed vanished from the school ground, leaving no tracks behind himself. Santana, on the other hand, kept on sending imaginary daggers to the couple responsible of so much hurt for her dear friend, who was visibly not moving on from being lied and cheated on by the two people he had trusted the most.

"Someone needs to talk to him, we miss an important member of our group and we can't go to Regionals with 11 members, they will never let us compete." Mercedes stepped into, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had fallen into the room. "I know the guy is heartbroken, but he needs to get back on track and no way he can show up like that at Regionals."

"Is that all you care about, Mercedes? Of course my boy is heartbroken, since his life revolved around his girlfriend and the baby he thought was his, but the Bitch had to screw him up and spread her legs for Finnept over there, who couldn't keep it in his pants." Santana didn't even bother to look at the two brunette sitting in the back, obviously too guilty to talk back. "Had it been you, what would have you done Wheezy?"

"The issue still remains, though, and we need to recruit a new member or get Quinnten back, in order to compete for Regionals and hope to get a shot at Nationals." Mr. Schue leaned against the black piano behind him, looking at the different feelings on his students' faces. "Let's take the rest of the day off to think about our future plans, class is dismissed." He grabbed his folder and walked out of the door, heading straight toward Emma's office for some advice on what to do.

"Mr. Schue is as useless as his hair product." Santana stood up and walked to the front of the room, looking at the other members who were gathering their things to get out of the choir room. "I'll try and talk to Quinn, but we need a backup plan in case it doesn't work. Hobbit?" She turned toward the oddly silent brunette who looked up at her in surprise. "Any great plan going through that head of yours?"

"I am afraid I cannot provide any help, at the moment, but maybe after your attempt we won't need any contingency plan and Quinn will be back in the choir room, with us." She lied to herself, knowing perfectly the ex-blonde rivaled her in stubbornness and pride, that had been severely damaged by the lies Norah had webbed around them.

"He is lost, maybe we should think of promoting the Glee club to the rest of the school so that someone can fill the spot. He won't even have to sing, just sway in the background as me and Rachel will sing a duet." Finn shrugged his shoulders, not daring to stare at the Latina Cheerio who was on the verge of redoing his face.

"Why don't you do us a favor Finnept and just stop wasting your breath and my time, 'cause we don't need further damage from you or your slutty girl." The Cheerio growled at him and ignored the pointed glare she received from the ex-Head Cheerleader. "Think of something people, we all want Quinn back."

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"Those things are gonna kill you, Q." Santana climbed her way up to the highest bench, sitting beside her best friend who was still inhaling a deep breath from his Red Marlboro stick. "Who in the hell did that to you and where did you get those ugly clothes?" The Latina crossed her legs and stared at his profile, barely recognizing the guy she had grown up with.

"Life, Santana. This happens when you think you had control over your life and then shit happens and you find yourself alone." Quinn shrugged and took a long drag from his cigarette, blowing the smoke with his nostrils and mouth. "For some unbelievable reasons, I really would have done anything for Norah and the baby. I don't even miss my father nor my mother, I just miss belonging somewhere."

"You have me, Q. And Brittany and Manhands and the Glee Club." The Cheerio grabbed the cigarette from his lips and threw it away, watching it fall onto the third bench from where they sat. "Come back to the club, we miss you and you don't have to talk to Finnept or Norah, but just hang out with us."

"I don't think I can do that, San. Not now, at least. I really need to focus on myself and shrug all those expectations and burdens off my shoulders. I am done with following the crowd or making everyone else happy, I want to do something for myself even if it means skipping classes or just getting random tattoos and experiment new stuff. I need to live, for myself." Quinn kissed her forehead softly as he stood up, with one last glance at his friend he skipped down the bleachers and disappeared from the brunette's sight.

"Damn it, Q." Santana sighed loudly and face palmed herself, hating that she was so powerless and unable to provide any help to her obviously hurt friend. What to do?

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Rachel was wandering through the public library when she firstly met him. The passion for music and his captivating eyes temporarily made her forget about another pair of eyes that haunted her dreams and clouded her mind. Jesse St. James was none but a charming singer, who used words and flattery to charm his way into people's hearts and clearly leaving a mark wherever he passed, Rachel was not immune to that. Locking eyes over an old copy of Barbra Streisand biography and meeting again at the vinyl section were nothing but signs in the brunette girl's mind. The Vocal Adrenaline leader had talked about anything but their respective choirs, not even subtly referring to them as they shared stories about their music experience and dreams.

"I set my eyes on UCLA, I wanna take over the West Coast and then go from there. Hollywood sounds like a good starting point to start a music career, don't you agree Rachel?" He sent her a perfect smile, nothing compared to Quinn's pearly white one, but good enough to make her swoon and forget he was the 'enemy'.

"New York has always been my dream city and Broadway is where I am supposed to be. It will be hard, I am completely aware of how competitive the stage business is and there will be hordes of singers battling for auditions and spotlight, but I know I'll be there." Rachel smiled convincingly as she took a sip of her vitamin water, lowering her gaze to the wooden desk they were occupying. "Were you spying on me?"

"Absolutely not, Vocal Adrenaline doesn't work on competitors' weaknesses but on our strength." He chuckled retreating back in his seat, arms folded over his chest as he looked at her with curiosity. "We practice our performances for hours till we pass out or our choir director stops us, most of the times it is the former case. Miss Corcoran is a perfectionist and doesn't allow any mistake, that's why we have been on top for the past years."

"I seem to recall the name from somewhere and I wish Mr. Schue cared more about strengths than groupwork, it won't lead us anywhere if people can't dance nor we can't benefit from my vocal range and capacity to adapt to different kinds of music in so little time." Rachel kept on rambling about the strengths of their choir, forgetting who Jesse was indeed. "Ballads don't work all the time, if not accompanied by rigorous preparation and continuity. Then with the lack of our twelfth member…"

"You miss a member? Unity in a choir group is fundamental to achieve better results. Was one of the jocks or the cheerleaders? Those don't really care about Glee Club unless they empower their popularity or grant them scholarships." Jesse shook his head laughing, only to have the brunette's angry glare on him.

"You don't know anything about Quinnten, so I think you should keep the comments to yourself. I better go, before it gets too late. Nice meeting you, Jesse." The diva gathered her books and bag, before slipping quickly out of the public library and leaving a smirking curly haired guy behind.

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One week had gone by and Quinn was still living his punk phase, strolling around the hallways in his new smoking hot attire – as Rachel and every other girl in school thought – and not caring much about his school records, barely attending classes because it was compulsory in order to at least access to the next school year. Although, he had gone from the popular crowd to the bad one and just spent time under the bleachers, smoking and vandalizing the school ground along with the other Punk kids and the Skanks, a group of girls who didn't fail to hide their obvious attraction for the fallen golden boy.

"C'mon Quinn, why don't we just skip to my empty house and share a drink or two? No harm, right?" Mack, probably the most attractive girl of the whole group, had taken a particular liking to the new addition of the group and obviously hit on him, whenever she could. "No one will have to find out."

"Told you, Mack, that I am not interested in anything like that." Quinn stood perched on the highest bench, looking at the football field where his former team was practicing, without him. "I used to have it all, now I've got nothing but dust." He muttered to himself and took an angry breath from his lightened cigarette.

"I bet I could make you forget about all of your troubles, in a very good and pleasuring way." The tall brunette straddled his leg and draped her arms around his neck, pressing up into his front and brushing the tip of her tongue below his ear. "I could do that here too, under your ex-friends' eyes." She whispered sultrily, hips gently rocking against his thigh as her hand stroked along the collar of his t-shirt.

"I said no and you better get the hell away from my lap, Mack." He pushed her away from him and stood up, throwing the dead cigarette away toward the field, eyes quickly locking with his ex-best friend. Anger filled his body as he watched him run back to the team, exchanging schemes and leading them, finally taking the spot he always longed and getting the girl. His girl. "I am outta here, alone." Quinn grabbed his leather jacket and walked down the staircase, turning his back on the field not to watch his past life having been stolen from him.


	7. Chapter 7

**I am deeply sorry for making you wait so long, hope you are still interested in this one :) if so, leave reviews! thank you! **

**A/N: this is a Genderswapped story with m!Quinn and f!Puck, if anyone isn't comfortable with that choice you are free not to progress further into the reading...thank you :) **

CHAPTER 7

When Quinnten walked inside the school, the following Monday, he was surprised to see a familiar face among the crowd heading toward Rachel's locker, carrying himself around with an attitude that he had showed off on stage and that had always irritated him. Jesse St. James didn't belong to McKinley and probably was planning some big strategy to take his competition down, before they even confronted each other at Nationals. Walking up to him, the ex-football player turned him around and pressed his back against the metal lockers, using his slightly taller height at his own advantage to intimidate the curly haired guy.

"What are you doing around here, St. James?" He snarled and pressed him harder against the lockers, bag forgotten at his feet as both of his hands wrapped around the front of his designer shirt, wrinkling it with his grip. "Did you get lost or something? Because last time I checked you were still leading Vocal Adrenaline."

"Well well…if it isn't the star of McKinley and his Majesty Quinnten Fabray." Jesse smirked up at the pink haired guy and wrapped his hands around his wrists, loosening the grip on the front of his shirt. "If there's someone lost here, it's you Fabray. How does it feel going from the top of the pyramid to the very bottom, with the other losers? Must have hurt, huh?" His back was suddenly slammed back into the lockers and his tiptoes barely touched the ground, since the ex-receiver had him lifted against the metal wall.

"I have no clue what you are doing here, but if you dare to hurt her I'll shove my fist down your throat and rip each of your precious vocal chords." Quinnten shoved him back and grabbed his bag from off the ground, turning around his eyes fell on a petite brunette who had probably witnessed the whole scene and was protectively hugging her midsection with her arms.

"I thought you were better than using violence to make your point, Quinn. But I am afraid I was wrong about you." The petite singer walked past him, casting him a disappointed glare as she assisted the curly haired guy behind them, smoothing his shirt and taking his bag from him as they walked down the hallway together.

"I am a fucking dumbass." Quinnten slammed his fist into the nearest locker and took off in the opposite direction, heading toward the bleachers and the football field where he could lose himself in his own thoughts, without having to deal with the other students.

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Jesse St. James had turned out to be a positive addiction to the Glee club, filling the blank spot left by Quinnten and providing a more objective point of view, very much needed to the choir group. It wasn't new that Mr. Schuester had taken a particular liking to Finn Hudson, seeing so much of himself in him and mostly preferring him over the other male voices he had at his own disposal; even after the Baby-gate, it seemed that his preferences hadn't faltered and that left a bitter taste in the other members' mouths. So, when the newly addiction had pointed out the weakness in the tall football player's dancing routines and monotonous voice, he had jumped to Finn's defense only to have most of the Glee Club turning their backs to him. The Vocal Adrenaline's strategy was pretty simple – as Jesse had explained – and that meant building the whole musical number around their strength, represented by Rachel and her talented self.

Having someone that fully believed in her and tried to treasure all of her talent, made Rachel feel better about herself and see Jesse under a different light. In the past months she had tried to see that in Finn, but their romance had quickly faded away when he showed his true colors and his inability to be a good partner for her. Then there was Quinn, who had defended and given her his friendship and with whom she had an undeniable chemistry on and off-stage; there were still lingering issues they had to figure out, but she knew he wasn't in the right state of mind to get into another serious relationship, after Norah's fiasco.

Then there was Jesse. He was charming and shared so much of her passion for musicals, he seemed to understand her better than any other guys she had ever been interested into but there was something that held her back. Something that had nothing to do with her conflicting feelings for Quinnten and the time they were taking away from each other. Something that made it hard to trust him fully, knowing he had been part of Vocal Adrenaline for so long and had been loyal to them for so long. She was conflicted and confused about what she should do or whom she should pursue. Both Quinn and Jesse had been there for her, but provided uncertainties and potential hurt that she was too much scared of.

"Your vocal range is impressing, Rachel and I bet it doesn't come from years of vocal training only." Jesse walked down the steps inside the auditorium, having witnessed the girl's performance on stage and letting her finish before interrupting her. "I am sure it is in your DNA, probably from your parents." He sat front row and looked up at her, watching a small frown appear on her face.

"My fathers are not very musically inclined and I don't know anything about my mother, who was a surrogate and gave me up for close adoption, before leaving Lima." Rachel looked down at her flats, clicking the heels together and wishing they worked liked Dorothy's magic shoes that would have taken her anywhere she wanted. New York or to find her mom.

"You have nothing left of her, pictures or recordings with her voice maybe?" He stood up from his seat and jumped graciously on the stage, sitting on the piano bench to take a closer look at the girl, who shook her head and kept on looking down at her feet. "Wanna try a duet with me? It will take your mind off things." The curly haired guy took her by the hand and led her toward the bench, both unnoticing a familiar figure standing on the balcony above them and watching them with a sad frown.

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The sound of an incessant knocking on the front door woke Quinnten from his short nap; his senses were still not that heightened and it took him few more moments to realize what was happening and where he was. Pushing his rebellious hair back, he walked barefoot across the small living room and swung the door open, only finding a clearly upset Santana on his doorstep, with her schoolbag still draped over her shoulder. He barely had the time to give words to his thoughts, when the girl stepped up into his arms and buried her head in his bare chest, sobbing heavily against it as they stood awkwardly in the doorway. The blonde turned to pink hair guy scooped her up into his arms and closed the door behind them, retreating to his small and worn-out couch that could provide a better arrangement than standing. Once seated, the brunette seemed to cling tighter onto her best friend's neck, nuzzling into the skin between his shoulder and neck and taking into the his familiar and comfortable scent.

"I've got you San, it's going to be okay." His lips pressed gently against her forehead, brushing against her bangs as his hand moved up and down her side, through her Cheerio uniform. When the girl flinched slightly in his arms, alarm replaced the need of comforting and the familiar ritual of tending her fresh wounds took place. Anger filled his usually gentle eyes along with sadness and regret for seeing the girl going through that again, without being able to do what was needed to be done. "What was his excuse, today?" Quinnten had laid the cheerleader on her good side, unzipping the side of her uniform and exposing the purple bruise that throbbed under his attentive eyes.

"Troubles at the office." The Latina's typical strong voice had visibly weakened and her strong façade had melted under the blows and the anger her father had lashed out on her body; she was lying there, almost curled in a fetal position, if not for the pain that shot through her body whenever she tried to move. "He had promised, Quinn." She whispered brokenly and wiped her tears away, angry for not being able to react and sad that her mother seemed not to see what that man was doing to their family.

"I swear I am going to kill that bastard." He muttered under his breath as the small ice-pack was pressed against her swollen side, trying to be as gentle as possible not to cause any further damage to the broken girl on his couch. Maybe bonding with Santana had been so easy because of their similar family issues too, both dealing with an abusive father who didn't care much about shutting every different point of view with words or facts. Russell had hit him once, when he was younger but had never laid a hand on his mother, although his words could be equally hurting and filled with venom as much as a slap could be; but if there was something Quinn despised with all of himself, that was a man laying a hand on a woman. Whether it was their daughter or wife or a stranger, no excuses could be made for a coward man that let anger rule him and take over every inch of humanity he possessed.

"He is twice your side, Q and he is not worth it." Santana rolled carefully over, resting most of her weight on her good side as she reached out to wrap her hands around his closest hand. "I am sorry for coming here, totally uninvited but I didn't know where to go. Brittany would want to know and talk about this, I am not in the mood to explain." She scooted slightly toward the edge of the couch and let Quinn lie down beside her, draping a strong arm over her waist and tugging her back into his arms, not wanting her to fall off from the couch.

"You can stay here as long as you need to, although it is a small place and I don't know if both our giant egos will fit." The punk looking guy chuckled in his friend's ear and rested his head beside hers, earning a small swat at his stomach before Santana turned around and cuddled closer to him. "I'll go with you, so you can grab more clothes if needed." He whispered softly and looked down at the girl, who had dozed off against his neck and was curled in his embrace.

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Despite her attempts not think about who her real mother was, Rachel couldn't help but letting her mind go there whenever she had the chance to focus on something different from the upcoming Regionals and her conflicted feelings between Jesse and Quinnten were not helping either. She was walking down the hallways to her locker when spotted the new Head Cheerleader and the ex football player walking together, with arms entwined and with the Latina leaning closer to the taller guy. Her jealousy instantly kicked in and the urge to walk over them and tear them apart filled her mind. Although, they hadn't yet talked about their situation and maybe she finally realized why Quinn was taking it so long to confront her about it.

"Looks like that Quinn's preferences didn't change much, after all." The familiar male voice snapped her out of her thoughts, only to find herself look up into her ex-boyfriend's dull eyes. "Always going after the girls in charge, so that he can still be on top without much effort." Finn shrugged his shoulders and kept on watching his former best friend hug the Latina before heading toward his own classes.

"It actually feels like the pot and the kettle story here, Finn." Rachel shook her head and opened her lockers, pretending to occupy herself with a book's quest for her next classes. "Weren't you the one who went after his girl and let him deal with the Baby issues until the very end? Seems like you are the lazy one here." She muttered to herself and grabbed another book from her locker before slamming it closed.

"Just saying to be careful with guys like Quinn, popularity will always matter the most and when was the last time you two talked?" He chuckled to himself and walked away without letting the girl have the last word in their discussion, knowing he had served the purpose to fill her mind with more doubts concerning the ex-wide receiver. When she turned around to walk to her own class, she was met with the familiar feeling of cold and sticky beverages being splashed in her face, dripping down her chin and staining the front of her cardigan and the t-shirt underneath. Laughters from the jocks that had delivered the slushie attack filled the hallways and she could only run into the nearest room, trying to get away from there as soon as possible.

Cleaning the messy syrup off her clothes had gotten easier within the years, almost mastering the art of saving her clothes from the deadly stains and smell that always managed to bring a wave of nausea up; the brunette stood by the sink with her hair still dripping with the beverage and running the sweater's front under the cold water, rinsing the soap off the fabric. When the door swung open, she was surprised to see Quinnten walk inside the room with no care it was a female bathroom and someone caught him; he marched inside carrying a small gym bag over his shoulder and dropped it unceremoniously on the floor, startling the brunette.

"What are you doing here, Quinnten? Aren't you aware this is the female bathroom and by strict school policy, guys cannot come here at all?" Rachel folded her arms across her chest and looked up at him, trying to be as resolute as possible, despite a big part of her beamed at the sight of the guy walking after her. "I thought you were too busy with Santana, to even remember about losers like me."

"You never were a loser in the first place, Rachel and I came here as soon as I heard that jock bragging about having slushied you." The pink haired guy dropped to his knees and grabbed a clean hoodie from the inside of his bag, along with a bottle of shampoo and a portable hairdryer. "If you don't want my help, then I'll leave these things here and wait outside, until you are done before walking you to class."

"Why are you doing this? I thought your close association with Santana was a clear message that you did not want anything to do with me anymore." The singer grabbed the shampoo bottle and walked to the sink, leaning down she lowered her head into the sink and under the water to rinse the slushie off her hair. "I need to be honest here and tell you that I am quite confused from your behavior. You don't talk to me nor I can say we have established something along the friendship's lines and when we meet up, you are threatening a friend of mine who did not do anything bad and you are judging because of your past. I hoped you were better than that."

"Damnit Rachel, he is shady and comes from the enemy. How can you be so willing to give him a chance when he's never proven you right? He could be just a spy and as much as I loathe the idea of agreeing with Finn, you need to be careful around him." The ex-football player leaned over the sink and ran his fingers through the brunette's hair, massaging her scalp gently as the shampoo cleaned any remnant of the sugar filled beverage she had been showered with. Reaching to the side he grabbed a fresh towel and wrapped it around the girl's head, as he assisted her standing back up to her full yet small height.

"He hasn't proven me wrong either, Quinn and despite the appearances, I am fully capable of taking care of myself and employ my well developed skills to determine whether someone is sincere or not." Rachel took a step back and toweled her hair, turning her back to the taller guy who looked defeated by the girl's attitude. "Thank you for your assistance and the clothes, I will make sure to have them washed and ironed before returning them to you."

"Yeah, no problem Rachel." Quinnten shook his head and wiped his hands on the front of his shirt, not caring to leave wet stains on the white fabric as he turned around to walk back out of the bathroom. With a hand on the doorknob, he looked over his shoulder to take one last glance at the brunette and met her gaze with his own, surprised to find Rachel stare longingly back at him. Within two steps, the ex-blonde haired guy was standing before the small brunette, hands cupping each side of her face and thumbs brushing the water away from her cheeks. "I am jealous of him, happy to hear that?" He whispered lowly and leaned down to finally erase any distance left between their lips, pouring all of his emotions in the first kiss that made both see fireworks.

The singer's hands grabbed onto the fabric of the taller guy's sleeveless shirt, bringing him closer as they leaned back against the sink for support; classes and students were forgotten and only them mattered in that moment, whilst their mouths searched for each other and bodies pressed together in the small restroom. With a swift move, Quinnten lifted the smaller girl on the marble counter, lowering his arms around her waist as his bottom lip was sucked and bitten on, making him lose any control over his body and emotions. The sound of the bell ringing was the only thing that tore them apart, before things progressed too soon since they both weren't ready for it; foreheads came to rest together and breaths were almost exchanged, trying to make their lungs work properly once again.

"I am sorry for losing control, I am aware that school restrooms are not the best places to share first kisses but I couldn't resist anymore." Quinnten chuckled softly and brushed the tip of his nose along the girl's cheek, delivering a soft kiss before helping her back down on the solid ground. "Do you think we can talk about this later? Maybe around lunch time or after school, if you don't have any plans."

"During lunch time, I usually go to the auditorium to rehearse my performances in Glee, but you could join me there and we can talk about the new development in our situation." Rachel brushed her wet hair back and looked down at her shoes, not wanting to see the regret in the guy's eyes before being mentally prepared to deal with it. She avoided his gaze at all costs, knowing too well what rejection from guys like him could do to girls like her; busying herself with the hairdryer and wearing the hoodie, she almost startled when a pair of strong arms encircled her frame from behind and a soft kiss was pressed on her temple.

"No way I'll be regretting this Rachel, I told you already you are special and kissing you would never be a mistake." Quinn met her gaze through the mirror and when a soft smile replaced the frown she wore, he dropped another lingering kiss on her cheek before gathering his things and moving out of the girls' bathroom not wanting to push his luck of not being caught. "I'll see you later Rach." He sent her one last smile and disappeared behind the door, leaving a beaming singer by the sink with her fingers tracing her lips.


	8. Chapter 8

**I apologize for the lack of recent updates, I've just gotten back from a family vacation! :) Hope you are still interested in this one, more Faberry interaction in this chapter :D **

**All mistakes are mines! **

**Warning: Genderswapped Faberry (m!Quinn & Rachel)**

**Enjoy and Review!**

CHAPTER 8

The hours that separated the bathroom rendezvous from the lunch period were filled with sneaky glances and knowing smiles, that never failed to make Rachel's heart flutter in her chest or Quinn's heartaches diminish after the Babygate issue; he stood by his locker, retrieving his books for the last class before lunch when he got a glimpse of the singer standing by the choir room talking to Jesse but it was obvious where her attention stood. The punkish looking guy rested his side against the metal door, keeping his vigilant eyes on the couple but at the same time feeling relieved they were going to figure out what was going on between them; the attraction was undeniable and if that kiss was the tip of the iceberg, he couldn't wait to explore every inch of the frozen rock.

"What got you so smiley, Fabray?" Santana's elbow nudged him into the ribs before looking down the hallway, finding the source of her best friend's dreamy look. "I gather that you finally got over the HBIC and decided to grow a pair with RuPaul." She chuckled at the angry glare he sent her way at the mention of the nickname. "Slow down tiger, just said it to get a reaction from you. She could be good, despite her annoying diva self and verbal diarrhea."

"It's cute and I know you secretly like her too." Quinn poked her friend's side before walking her to their shared class, not without sending a flirty wink to the brunette diva as they passed by the couple. "How's Brittany? Did you tell her about what happened?" His eyebrows rose in puzzlement as they made their way toward their seats, in the back of the classroom under the last window.

"I don't want to upset her any further, by the way thank you for letting me crash at your place for a while." The Head Cheerleader sat sideways on her chair, facing her best friend who had just retrieved his books and notepads and set them on the small desk. "Do you mind if we swing by my place after school? I could use my laptop and a spare change of clothes if I stay at yours."

"No need to ask San, I would have never let you go back there alone." The ex-blonde squeezed his best friend's shoulder reassuringly and then turned his eyes toward their teacher, who had just entered the classroom and was wiping the blackboard from the previous lesson's notes. Sighing to himself, he slumped into the seat and looked out of the window, hoping the time would fly faster so he could see Rachel soon.

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As soon as the bell rang, Quinn had gathered his books and flew from the classroom leaving an amused and smirking Santana behind, knowing very well who was affecting her best friend so much; the students crowded the hallways already, but he managed to walk through it thanks to years of football practices that involved shouldering and confronting players that were twice or thrice his own size. The auditorium was still empty and dark when he entered, except from the light that shone above the stage and allowed him to navigate through the seats without hurting himself. He had some time to calm his own erratic heartbeat and figure out what to tell Rachel, about their situation and where it could go from there; yes, they had kissed but what if the girl had found a better suitor in the ex-Vocal Adrenaline leader? He was charming and a better musical partner than he was, benefiting from years of training and sharing the same passion for musicals and Broadway she dreamt of. Maybe the kiss was a mistake, after all, why would he be better than Finn Hudson or any other loser that lived in this stupid town? Hadn't it been for the truth to come out, he'd be still with his ex-girlfriend fathering a baby that wasn't his or worse what if he had been the real father?

Shaking his head, Quinn tried to erase those thoughts from his mind and focus on the present and what future could behold for them. Rachel had managed to touch something inside his soul, that no one else had ever done before; after Norah, he had never thought his heart would have been able to let anyone else in, but she had made her way through it effortless and carved her name there for him to keep for a long time. The sound of footsteps snapped him out of his reckless thoughts, any doubt or fear was magically fading in the background as the petite girl walked his way, almost flying over the steps of the auditorium with her peculiar elegance.

"Quinn, what are you doing here sitting in the dark?" Rachel let her bag fall on the closest seat, before closing the remaining distance left between them and look up into the hazel orbs, that were gazing down at her. "Are…are you having doubts, right? I knew that a guy like you could have never preserved his interest in someone like me, Finn was right and I shouldn't have-" Her long rant was caught in her throat, when soft hands cupped her cheeks and a mouth was pressed against her, kissing away the last words and the fears filling her mind. Like hours before, her hands found their rightful place against the ex-player's muscular back, clinging to the fabric of his sleeveless shirt and pressing herself closer to him.

"Hi" Quinnten was the first one to break the kiss, resting their foreheads together as his hands slowly lowered to cradle her hips and hold her gently around the petite waist. "Finn is an asshole and between us, I am the one not worthy of someone like you Rachel." He whispered against her lips, tightening the grip around her so their bodies would be still in close proximity. With a gentle shake of her head, the brunette raised herself on her tiptoes and closed her mouth over the punkish guy's, cradling the back of his head with her forearms and using her fingers to stroke his faux-hawk as their mouths moved more frantically, soothing every bit of their mutual doubts. The ex-football player slowly walked backwards toward the edge stage and with a quick twirl, set the brunette on its edge standing between her parted knees in the familiar position that they had already assumed in the bathroom.

"Hi…" It was Rachel's turn to break the kiss, licking her smiling lips as she gazed down into the ex-blonde's sparkling eyes. "Has anyone ever told you that your kissing skills are phenomenal?" She whispered and pecked the former Wide Receiver's lips for the last time before pulling back and trying to take control over her erratic breath; her fingers moved over the gelled hair, making her chuckle when the sticky substance covered her palm. "You are overdoing with the gel, Quinn. Are you a wannabe Mr. Schue?"

"Gosh Rach, that is one of the worst things to say to a guy unless you are Finn Hudson." He snickered and brushed his thumbs along her exposed knees, feeling the goosebumps appear over her skin under his touch. "Never watched Scrubs before? J.D, aka the main character, gave haircut advices." He smirked proudly before being shoved playfully back by the girl. "What?"

"What is this Quinnten?" Rachel's hands rested against his broad shoulders, keeping him there and preventing him from backing away, if he had wanted to. "We kissed, thrice and we are tiptoeing around this undeniable tension that started since you were still with Norah and I know you said you weren't ready at Sectionals, but I need to know where we stand. Is there a chance for me to become something more than just a good friend, because if not then I am very confused and hurt you decided to kiss me without the intention of pushing things toward a more romantic involvement." She lowered her gaze and hands folded in her lap, straightening the imaginary wrinkles of her plaid skirt.

"When I told you I needed time was exactly not to lead you on and just use you as a rebound after my previous relationship with Norah." Quinn's head lowered to find the brunette's eyes with his own and entwine their fingers. "But I'd never use you as a physical fling, someone to go to just for a couple of kisses or something like that; I am not that kind of guy and I'd never do that to you, because you mean so much already that it scares me. I am scared, Rachel Barbra Berry, because in the few weeks that I was separated from you, I missed you more than I miss my family or used to miss my ex-girlfriend or any other person that is important to me." His fingers brushed under her chin and gently lifted it, so that their foreheads could rest together. "I would love for us to take a chance to explore something that goes further than a simple yet deep friendship, so I'd kindly ask you to give me the opportunity to take you out for a date this Friday."

"Well, since you asked so nicely how could I refuse such a chivalrous request?" She beamed at him and fisted the front of his shirt, pulling him closer to her. "So, since we are going to explore this dating phase of our relationship, are kisses still allowed?" Leaning forward she brushed the tip of her tongue along his bottom lip, feeling it quiver under her wet ministration.

"I don't know, Miss Berry, I usually have a first-date rule when it comes to kissing." He gulped the lump in his throat, feeling the girl's teeth nip at the sensitive skin of his lip and then soothe it with her warm tongue. "But I could make an exception for you." He whimpered and crashed their lips together, pulling her to his front as the rest of their lunch break was spent in the privacy of the auditorium, making out on the stage.

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Quinnten and Santana were in the girl's room, packing as much as they could before her father made an appearance and take whatever went wrong that day out on his daughter; but luck didn't seem to be on their side. The sound of a car pulling into the driveway made the girl freeze and panic at the thought of him finding them there and hurting her best friend, other than beat the shit out of her. When a hand rested on her shoulder, she relaxed under her friend's touch and took the baseball bat that he had handled her before leading her toward her walking closet, so he could put himself between the Latina and his excuse of a father.

"Well well, why am I not surprised to find Russell's disgraceful son in my failure of a daughter's room?" The tall man crossed his arms over his chest, resting heavily against the doorframe and trying not to fall face first on the floor given the amount of alcohol he had swallowed down. "Heard that slut of your girlfriend wasn't even carrying your bastard child huh? Such a loser you are, son."

"Not that you can consider yourself a better man, Mr. Lopez. You pathetic excuse of a man, who finds a too easy comfort in a bottle of whisky and doesn't really mind abusing his own daughter when things get too hard for him. Breaking news: grow a pair and be a man, instead of taking it out on Santana." Quinn stood his ground and grabbed the girl's bag and draped it over his shoulder before taking a step forward. "Come on, Santana, let's get the hell out of here." He smiled reassuringly at her, who had grabbed her laptop bag and still held on the baseball bat.

"Not so fast. She is not going anywhere with you and do not think that just because she spreads your legs for you, it gives you any right to come into my house and take her away from her family. She is gonna stay right here and you get out before I call 911." The taller man stepped closer to the younger guy, who stood his ground and balled his hands in tight fists. "This is private property, son and you are trespassing." Mr. Lopez grabbed him around the front of his shirt and breathed down on his face, looking down into his fierce eyes with pure anger.

"Oh really? I wouldn't be too sure of being in the right, when I show them the hospital reports of her bruises and the cuts after your last work of art on her body." Quinn shoved him back, taking advantage of his inebriated state that didn't allow him to have a balanced equilibrium. "Men like you should be thrown behind the bars and rot in jails till their last living breaths." Standing protectively between him and his silent daughter, Quinnten straightened his pose ready to fight back if needed. "Do not bother her anymore or the next time I'll rearrange every bone in your face, Mr. Lopez." He took a step toward the door, tugging the Latina with him when the older man stepped in the way and delivered a strong punch at the punkish guy's jaw, sending him stumbling in his daughter's dresser.

"Quinn!" Santana swung the bat back and lowered it hard on her father's side, before hitting him a second time on his back to send him face down on the carpet; she grabbed the bag from the floor and helped his friend standing, as they made their way down the stairs and out of that place as soon as they could, not wanting to face the angry and dangerous man any longer.

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The morning after, in school, everyone couldn't help but stare at the big bruise that Quinnten was proudly sporting as he walked down the hallways; the questioning gazes were, though, getting on his nerves and at the very first chance he was going to finally shut them all up. The chance arose when Jacob Israel shoved his microphone up into his face, almost hitting the other side of his jaw and that sent the punkish looking boy over the edge of his anger. Hands grabbed on the front of the JewFro's shirt, lifting him against the metal lockers as he petrified him with his Alpha attitude, earning the attention of the students walking by.

"Listen to me very carefully, JewFro, because I will not repeat myself; do not you dare to bother me with your stupid questions anymore or I'll show you how to properly use that microphone of yours that you carry around so proudly." Quinn shoved him back and looked around himself, scowling at the shocked look on the other students. "What the fuck are you staring at huh? Move!" He shouted at them and walked toward the nearest empty classroom, not wanting to drag any more attention on himself. What he didn't notice was a familiar brunette standing few rows of lockers ahead of him, watching him worried and who quickly followed him into the silent room.

"Quinn…" When Rachel walked inside the classroom, she found the ex-football player sitting on the teacher's desk, chin resting on his bent knee as his other foot hovered the ground without touching it except for his the toe of his worn out Chucks. "Are you okay?" She approached him carefully, not wanting to irate him any further despite knowing he would never hurt nor threaten her like he just did in the hallways.

"I am so tired of the glares, Rachel. All those expectations and the malicious curiosity that everyone seems to stare at me with; why do I have to be the object of their attention all the time? I thought they had gotten over the 'fallen golden boy' complex time ago." He whispered sadly and flinched lightly, when gentle hands cradled his jaw and thumb brushed over his bruise. "You want to know where I got it from?"

"Only if you want to tell me, otherwise I'll be perfectly fine with the knowledge that you are not severely hurt." Nudging his knees apart, she stood between them and grabbed her cold water bottle from the bag, pressing it gently against his mark. "You are fully aware I do not condone violence, but I understand that sometime the pressure of those expectations can be bigger than you can stand. Just know, that you can always come and vent to me, against popular beliefs I am a good listener other than an excellent orator."

"I believe you, Rach and along with a couple of other people in my life, you are one of the most solid pillars in my messed up life." He set the bottle aside and cradled the girl's hips with his slightly bigger hands, playing with the fabric of her skirt as their faces inched closer and noses brushed. "I really hope this first date goes well, because I can't wait to show everyone that you are with me."

"I am pretty sure that you are going to pass with flying colors, as long as you don't run off after our first kiss but I guess we covered that already." The singer chuckled softly and leaned forward to drop a chaste kiss on the former football player's lips, who could only nod and tug her even closer. "Class is going to start soon, even if I'd rather spend it here with you."

"Such a bad girl you are, what about your perfect attendance record?" Smirking, Quinnten leaned down to playfully bite on the girl's lower lip, dragging it toward him and earning a small whimper from the girl who fisted her hands in his short hair. "If you stay with me, I'll make it worth your time." He whispered lowly into her mouth, fingers playing with the edge of her animal sweater as his knees closed around the side of her tights clad legs.

"Tempting, but I can't skip Spanish or I'll never hear the end of it from Mr. Schue." Rachel groaned at the thought of attending his totally useless class, when she could be wrapped in the punkish guy's arms and locked in his heated kisses. "Maybe we should reconsider you joining Glee, if we are going to date." She mumbled against his upper lip, tugging at his faux-hawk and staring up into his hazel eyes.

"I thought that you'd want me back there, so I'll think about it." He smiled reassuringly at her and stole another soft kiss from her pouty lips, before putting some effective distance between them and breathe in deeply to calm the throbbing under his loose jeans. "I'll see you later at lunch Rach, same place?"

"It's a date!" Rachel beamed at the boy and pecked his cheek soundly, before bolting out of the room to make in time for the Spanish lesson, not wanting to deal with another annoying speech from their mutual teacher. Quinnten shook his amused and grabbed his cigarette pack from the messenger bag, lighting it up before slipping out of the opened window and make his way toward the field. Time to relax.


	9. Chapter 9

**I apologize for the lack of updates, hopefully you are still interested in this one :) More Faberry in this chapter. **

**Warning: Genderswapped!Quinn**

**Enjoy and Review!**

CHAPTER 9

By the time Friday night had come, Quinnten had turned into a mess of nerves because of his date night with none but the town diva, Rachel Barbra Berry; the former blonde had gone out of his way, saving up as much as he could, to grant the brunette a good ght that wouldn't involve the same restaurant place and a boring box office movie. Walking out of his car, he fixed the wrinkles in his polo shirt and pushed his already gelled hair back, wiping the excess of hair product on the back of his jeans; breathing deeply, he stood awkwardly on the doorstep of the large house, pondering whether to take off or face the girl and probably her parents too. One last deep breath and his forefinger pressed on the doorbell button, hearing the soft ring echo in the house and quick footsteps approach the other side of the door, before it was swung open and a beaming Rachel stood there in front of him.

"Quinn, your timing is impeccable." She smiled brightly at him, clearly appreciating the lack of tardiness that usually didn't matter to guys, not even on first dates that were meant to impress the counterpart. "Please do come in, I need to grab a light jacket and purse." Stepping to the side, she let the guy walk inside the foyer and closed the door behind them with a soft thud.

"You look absolutely gorgeous, Rachel." Quinnten smiled softly at the brunette, handing her a small tulip before pressing a gentle kiss on her cheek; the blush creeping over the girl's face was the perfect prize for his small gesture, enjoying every small reaction from the girl, something totally refreshing and new compared to his past experience with Norah and her usual self-control over emotions.

"Well, well. Who do we have here?" Leroy Berry was not a huge man, but his deep voice and clearly protective stance made the ex-football player stand back up and gently cower behind the petite brunette, who had turned around to look up at her father with a stern glare. "Mr. Fabray, I might know one thing or two about you and your misadventure with an ex of yours. I think we are clear that you will respect our ground rules and have my daughter back for curfew, pure and chaste."

"Yes-s. Of course, Sir." He stuttered and wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans, suddenly thinking that meeting the singer inside had been nothing but a bad idea. "I assure you, Sir, that my past experiences have nothing to do with how I plan to court your daughter and I will gladly follow any of the rules that you and Mr. Berry want us to adhere to."

"Oh Leroy, the boy has such nice manners." Hiram Berry, despite his taller frame, turned out to be the 'good' cop between the two of them, tending to his daughter and practically melting under Quinn's nice and impressive politeness. "If only few years younger, I'd let you take me out for a date, young man." He smiled widely at the blush on the blonde's face and the pout forming on his daughter's lips. "Oh baby girl, I don't think I am meeting this young boy's standards, am I right hun?"

"Well-l Mr. Berry, it's not that I find you unattractive or anything. I believe you and your husband look so lovely and young for your own age, not that I imply that you are old or anything. Oh gosh, is it hot here?" He mumbled to himself and played with the collar of his polo, trying to breathe and not pass out on the foyer. It wouldn't be a very good impression, at all.

"Baby, relax. My daddies are simply teasing you." Rachel chuckled at the boy's reaction, gentle hands cupped his face as she stood on her tiptoes to drop a gentle kiss on his dry lips. "Let's go before you pass out and we end up spending our first date in the house." She pecked him gently for a second time and lowered herself back on the floor; the ex-blonde nodded absentmindedly and helped her wearing the jacket, fixing its collar for her before handing her the purse sitting on the table by the door. "Thank you." Rachel smiled at his gestures and looked back at her dads, who were both watching them with a renewed interest. "We'll be back by midnight, don't wait up."

"Have a good rest of the night, Mr. and Mr. Berry." Quinnten opened the door for the brunette, who locked her hand on the inside of his elbow and let him guide her outside to his car, waving one last time at her parents standing in the doorway. "Gosh, I must have made a fool of myself with your dads." He whispered in her ear as they reached the passenger seat. "I am sorry for letting my nerves ruin it." The pink haired boy helped her in the tall SUV and closed the door with a soft thud.

"Quinn, don't worry so much about it. I promise that everything went fine and my daddies already think highly of you, as much as I do. Meeting your date's parents isn't something easy to deal with and of course there are not books that prepare you, so we shall proceed with what you have planned." Rachel's hand found the boy's larger one, lacing their fingers on the gear stick as the car slowly pulled from her driveway. "I didn't know you had gotten your car back, anyway."

"It's not mine, Rachel but Santana's." The boy looked quickly at her date's puzzled face, squeezing her fingers he kept his eyes on the road as they pulled on the highway to Columbus. "I'll explain everything at dinner, I promise." With one last smile, he kept on driving whilst holding on the girl's hand who scooted closer and rested her head against his strong bicep.

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Being the perfect gentleman he had been raised to be, Quinnten opened all the doors for the brunette and pulled the chair out for her, beating the waiter who had let his eyes roam over 'his' girl in a flirty and non-professional way. The ex-blonde handed the girl her own menu and watched her scan it with curiosity, surprised to find so many vegan options after being accustomed to the usual salad at Breadstix; Quinn beamed at her and waved another waiter over, letting the singer place her order before asking for his usual baked pasta with extra bacon.

"I didn't know this restaurant had a special vegan section, you've come here often?" Rachel took a sip from her lemon tea and crossed her ankles under the table, barely brushing the tip of her shoe along his own. Her curious eyes roamed around the crowded restaurant, catching few glares mostly aimed to the pink haired boy, probably not expecting someone with that hairstyle sitting in a fancy restaurant like this.

"I knew that Lima doesn't offer so many options and since the second part of our date involves a place here, I thought we could check this restaurant out." Quinn smiled gently at her, resting his slightly bigger hand over hers and laced their fingers together. "I hope it will be meeting our expectations." He chuckled and squeezed her fingers for one last time, as their plates were sat in front of them.

"I am sure it will, Quinn." Rachel squealed lightly as she dug her fork in her cabbage rolls, taking a mouthful and whimpering at the taste. "Oh it's delicious!" Bouncing from side to side, she took another big portion and brought it to her mouth, chewing happily and almost forgetting she was on a date with one of the most popular boys in school. "I am so sorry, I usually am more controlled about my eating habits and you will probably find my behavior childish."

"Please don't stop, it's lovely to see you so happy and not self-conscious about food." He scooped some of his own pasta, chewing on it and relishing in the creamy taste on his tongue. "I'd offer you some of this delicious pasta, but it's not vegan babe." The ex-blonde watched her munching happily on her own food and swallowing it with a long gulp of tea. "But we could share dessert, if you want."

"That is a lovely idea, I'll make sure to choose the tastiest vegan dessert so that you won't tell the difference." Rachel sat her fork down and looked at the guy across from her, taking in his features with a deeper interest and savoring the time they finally got to share together. "Quinn, why do you drive Santana's car?"

"Rachel, you know that Santana is probably my closest friend and we kind of grew up together." He took a deep breath and stared at the brunette, who was waiting for him to go on. "She…well she has some family issues that I cannot talk to you about and long story short, I am letting her crash at my place for a while." He played with few crumbs on the tablecloth, waiting for the girl to get angry and shout at him. "I can assure you there are no romantic feelings between us, she's like my own sister."

"I won't lie and say that I am totally fine with your living situation, Santana is a gorgeous girl and any guy dreams of having a chance with her." Rachel leaned over the table to slip her hand over his moving fingers, stopping him from digging a hole in the table with his incessant tapping. "But I admire you for being a great friend to her, probably the only one she can turn to without having to worry about your ulterior motives."

"Thank you for being so understanding, Rach." Quinn smiled and brought her hand to his lips, brushing a kiss over her knuckles. "I promise you that I'd never do anything with her nor betray your trust, you are the only one I really want." He smiled brightly at the blush creeping over her face, that made her look even cuter than she already was. "So, dessert?" He chuckled and nodded to the menu still resting on the table, at their side.

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Quinnten parked the SUV in the Berrys' driveway half an hour earlier than the curfew they had imposed, giving the couple some time to talk about their night and maybe share a first date kiss before they called it a night. Unbuckling himself, the former blonde turned to stare at the brunette snuggled into the passenger seat under the jacket he had brought along; smiling, he leaned over the console to kiss her cheek softly and gently wake her up.

"Rachel, we are here." He whispered against her ear, kissing it softly as his thumb brushed along the back of her hand, trying to make her stir as gently as he could. Chuckling to himself, he watched her eyes flutter slowly open and sigh deeply, trying to figure out where she was; once the realization hit her, she sat up in panic and bumped her forehead against the side of his jaw, making him flinch in pain. "Ouch."

"Oh gosh, I am so sorry baby." Rachel's term of endearment made him forget about his pain and his heart skip in his chest. Eyes met and hands clasped together as the distance between their lips was erased, letting their mouths crash together for a hard and needy kiss. The girl's hands cupped each side of the ex-player's face, thumbs brushing along his high cheekbones while his hand gripped her hip, trying to get her closer. "Safe to say that after this date, you fully deserved the cliché kiss." She mumbled against his upper lip before drawing him closer for another long liplock, letting her tongue gently trace his full bottom lip.

"I wish we could stay here, all night long." He whispers softly as their foreheads came to rest together, breaths hitting each other's slightly swollen lips; bracing himself against the passenger's headrest, he managed to hover the console and never break the proximity with the brunette, whose hands still caressed his cheeks and jaw. "I hoped you'd enjoy the musical rendition of Romeo & Juliet, heard the director was on Broadway." Quinn dropped a soft kiss on the girl's nose and smiled at the grin appeared on her face, the best reward for having put effort to find something better than any cliché date.

"It was perfect, couldn't have asked for a better date." Rachel leaned up to press another soft kiss on the pink haired guy's lips and nuzzled the tip of their noses together, earning a small whimper from her date who gripped her hip tighter. "I am afraid we cannot indulge in this romantic moment any longer, my father are probably spying us from behind that moving curtain." The brunette chuckled and nodded toward the main living room window, having caught the two silhouettes.

"I'll walk you to the door." Quinnten smiled and slipped out of the driver's side, moving to open the passenger's door and assisting the petite girl out of the vehicle. "Do you need a lift tomorrow morning?" Their fingers laced between them, whilst they walked up the short rock driveway that led them to the illuminated porch of the mansion.

"If it's not too much trouble, I could use a lift but I have Glee practice in the afternoon and I don't want to make you wait; I could ask Kurt to drive me back, if you have previous engagements." Rachel stepped on the porch and turned around to face the punkish looking guy, whose height matched hers. Looking down at him, from her slightly advantaged situation, she cupped the back of his neck and pressed their lips together for a long and soft kiss, feeling his arms slip around her waist and hold her safely.

"I'll wait for you to finish and then we can grab a coffee together, if you want." Quinnten's eyes fluttered open whilst soft pecks were pressed on his parted lips, letting the lingering taste of the dessert invade his mouth mixed with the brunette's unique taste. "Have a wonderful night, Rach." He smiled and took a step back, not wanting to anger the Berry men who were still spying on them, most probably.

"Drive safely, text me when you are home." The singer brushed her locks behind her ear and gave the former football player a shy smile, before slipping through the unlocked door and closing it softly behind herself. Quinn smiled brightly and skipped back to the car, whistling softly to himself as his mind went back to each moment they had spent together. It was a perfect date.

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The choir room didn't look anything different from what he had remembered, yet the air had somehow changed. Maybe it was just him, but the moment he stepped into the almost empty room he could have sworn that panic started running through his veins; perhaps, it had been a bad choice to rejoin the club after all that had happened with his ex-girlfriend. Hazelnut eyes scanned the room to find a source of familiarity, whether it was Rachel or Santana, he needed some kind of comfort and reassurance that everything would have been okay but he couldn't find any. Although, he just found surprised faces and the slightly hopeful gaze that belonged to his ex-girlfriend, who sat in the last row with her hands over the very visible baby bump.

"Quinnten…" Norah stood up to meet him, but the hard glare she received from him made her rethink her choice and just sat back down, waiting for Finn to enter the choir room and having someone to talk to. Since the Babygate scandal, she had been pretty much left alone with the guy who had really gotten her pregnant, silently showing support to the betrayed blonde.

"QUINN!" A loud voice snapped the two exes from their intense glares, making the former blonde turn around in time to brace himself as a happy Brittany literally jumped in his arms, wrapping him in a tight embrace. "You are back? So we can be dancing partners again, not even Mike does slow dancing like you do."Kissing his cheek loudly, she stood back up and went to join Santana's side, who smirked at her best friend and led the blonde cheerleader to the middle rows, waiting for Mr. Schue to show up. The pink haired boy stood in the middle of the room, pondering whether to join the two cheerleaders or go sit somewhere in a corner, feeling like an outsider more than before.

"Finn, I really don't think that another duet with you will grant us a victory at Regionals and our chemistry on stage has decreased visibly, since we both moved on from that temporary fling." Rachel strolled inside the room carrying her books against her chest, clearly arguing with the tall quarterback who still wanted to share the stage with her despite having a pregnant girlfriend to take care of.

"Rach, we used to be good on stages. Don't you remember 'Push It'? What goes on in our personal lives shouldn't affect the performance, I want to duet with you." Finn whined in his usual childish way, almost stomping his foot on the ground to prove his point. "Then what do you mean you moved on?" He furrowed his brows in puzzlement, but didn't need to wait for her verbal answer when they both caught a glimpse of Quinnten standing in the middle of the room. "Quinn? You moved on with him?"

"Hey beautiful." The former football player blatantly ignored his ex-best friend and just gazed at the brunette, who quickly approached him and stood on her tiptoes to peck his lips affectionately. "Surprise." He whispered against her lips, strong hands set her free from the books she was carrying and noses brushed together, as the singer curled her fingers around the lapels of his jeans vest.

"I am so glad to see you, Quinn." Rachel's arms slipped around the back of his head, playing with his gelled hair as their fronts pressed together, enjoying the intimacy of such a simple gesture. "We can duet again, that would be nice right?" She beamed at the nod she received from him, quickly dropping another peck on his pink lips before tugging him toward the front row, where they sat cuddled together.

"You can count me in, anything not to watch Finn make a fool of himself on the stage with his monkey moves." He whispered in the brunette's ear, smirking at the giggling sound she made before his arm curled around her waist to tug her closer. "Our voices sound better together, don't you think?" Quinn sent a glare at the broody boy before turning toward the singer, who nodded and kissed the tip of his nose.

"Quinnten? Welcome back." Mr. Schue finally decided to show up and start the meeting, drawing the members' attention on him as he wrote a big 'Regionals' on the whiteboard making Quinn regret the choice of attending his boring lessons. The only reason he bothered was sitting by his side, playing with their entwined fingers and nuzzling into his shoulder; so he just reclined against the uncomfortable chair and kept the girl close, tuning everything else out besides the brunette.

**thoughts? suggestions?**


	10. Chapter 10

**Here another chapter, hope you are still interested! If so, please leve ur comments and reviews. Suggestions are very much welcomed.**

**Warning: Genderswapped!Quinn**

CHAPTER 10

Rachel's dads had dropped the brunette off earlier than usual, but the brunette was eager to take advantage of the early hour to practice for Regionals without being bothered by the crowd of students, that roamed the hallways. Her new relationship was definitely keeping her busy, although the former football captain gave her enough space to keep on improving her dancing and singing skills, that would have turned to be useful in the future; so when they agreed on meeting on school ground, she was happy he had accepted without whining nor blaming her for being inconsiderate toward him, something that probably would have happened with Finn, notorious for his childish attitude.

"Hey Rachel, going somewhere?" a familiar voice startled the brunette from her thoughts, chocolate eyes roamed around the almost empty parking lot and landed on a curly haired boy, whose face she hadn't seen in a while during Glee club meetings. "Surprised to see me, hun?" He advanced slowly and kept his eyes on the shorter brunette, who had noticed few other teens behind him.

"Jesse, what are you doing here? I thought you had joined Glee club but you failed to attend it regularly, that's not a proper team player attitude." Rachel folded her arms across her chest, fixing him with her best stern glare and watched him stop in his tracks. "They were right, weren't they? You never wanted to join us, it was just a game to distract me? You thought that pursuing me romantically and probably breaking my heart would have resulted in us forfeiting the competition?"

"Honestly, I did. That was the plan since the beginning, but I didn't take in account Mr. Punk Prince Charming who swept you off your feet so easily. You really are a diva, after all, who lets her heart beat for the first guy who sends a sweet glare her way." The curly haired boy nodded toward the members of his group, who were circling the brunette with their hands behind their backs. "I wonder what Quinnten will say when you'll ride into the sunset with your first lead man on stage, poor guy getting cheated on twice. He must be doing something wrong, if he can't keep his girls with him."

"Do not you dare to badmouth my boyfriend, he is a man more than you will ever be." She marched up to him and backhanded his face, proud of the loud smack of her hand on his cheek. "He is a team player and has a great heart, to think I had a small crush on you I feel disgusted with myself. You can't even come here and confront me alone, since you are a big coward with no backbone who lets his trained minions do the dirty job for him." She had just finished the last sentence when something was smashed on top of her head. Something wet and slimy, that was slowly trailing each side of her face and tickled her nose in an unpleasant way.

"There, I did it. Do your job guys." Jesse wiped the excess of yolk on the front of her argyle sweater and turned around to walk to his car, not even bothering to watch each member of Vocal Adrenaline smash 3 or 4 eggs each on the silent and stunned brunette. He leaned forward to brush the remnants of egg's shell off his precious shoes when a kick into his rear sent him face into the floor, landing in a small puddle of dirty water.

"Get off the floor, you pathetic piece of shit." Santana's hands grabbed him from the back of his shirt, sending his side against the metal doors of the car before he slumped against it. Arms raised to protect his face from her eventual punches, but she was restrained by a pair of long arms who circled her waist. "Consider yourself lucky cause I don't want to be expelled before Regionals, but after that your ass is mine and I'll show you how to proper deal with girls." She kicked some dust in his face before jogging her way toward the dirty brunette, who was protectively wrapped in her boyfriend's arms.

"We need to get you cleaned up babe, Santana and Brittany will help." Quinnten's lips pressed against her forehead, cringing at the smell of raw egg emanating from her skin but nothing mattered more than taking care of her. "We should report this to Figgins, there must be something we can do." He watched the VA's cars pull out of the parking lot and, despite wanting to go after each one of them, he knew taking physical revenge would have just ended up with New Directions being disqualified. "I can talk to Mr. Schue." He whispered softly and just wrapped the starlet tighter in his arms, almost carrying her toward the school building where she could take a quick shower in the girls' locker room.

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"Mr. Schue, there must be something we can do. They deliberately attacked her, fully aware of her eating habits and used that against her. They hurt her and it's not fair we cannot report this to the Choir authorities." Quinnten shot up from his seat, standing in the middle of the room and eyeing their teacher as Rachel curled into Brittany's arms.

"I already told Principal Figgins about this, but since there are not physical harms nor it can be considered a deliberate attack to New Directions that will keep us from performing, we can't do anything about it. So I kindly advise you to sit down and focus on Regionals." The curly haired man rubbed a hand on his face, having failed to calm the pink haired guy down. "So, who has prepared something for today?"

"Are you fucking kidding me? You are supposed to be our guidance and counselor, we just reported to you that one of our members has been attacked by those fucking cowards called Vocal Adrenaline and you shrug it like nothing?" He shouted into the teacher's face, watching him slightly cower from the intensity of his glare that really showed the resemblance with Russell Fabray's hard glare. "I can't believe you care more about a stupid choir competition than the safety of one of your students!"

"Enough! You better keep that language to yourself or I'll send you to Principal Figgins." The vest clad man stood up and faced the angered guy, ready to use his authority to put him back into his place not wanting to acknowledge he was right for being so mad. "We can beat Vocal Adrenaline on the stage, that's what we are going to do."

"Mr. Schue is right, we can beat them with an amazing duet featuring me and Rachel." Finn stepped in and sent a smug grin toward his former football mate, watching him ball his hands in fists ready to explode. "It was just a couple of eggs smashed on her head, it's not like she wasn't used to be bullied before. It will enhance her moral spirit, as she always says about the challenges ahead of her. I bet she'll feel a lot better when it's gonna be me and her on that stage, right Rach?"

"You dumbass, I should have rearranged your face when I found out about you sleeping with my ex." Quinn grabbed the front of his hoodie and pulled him down the steps of the choir room, sending him stumbling into one of the empty chairs. "She is vegan, you freaking idiot and using eggs was a sordid way to hurt her mentally too. How would you feel if they threw dead puppies at you? Are you that thick in the head?" He stared down into his void eyes and grabbed him tighter, despite the yells of protests coming from the other members. "If you hint about getting closer to my girlfriend again, I'll really finish the job Finn. It's a fucking promise!"

"QUINNTEN! GO TO THE PRINCIPAL, NOW!" Mr. Schue's put some space between the two guys and, of course, checked if Finn was okay before setting his hard glare on the faux hawked guy. "You better come back with a new attitude or you can consider yourself out of this club. We do not tolerate violence here." He grabbed his music papers and slammed them down on the black piano, startling Brad and the other silent members who had witnessed the scene.

"You do not tolerate violence when it comes to your protégé but if it's Rachel or some of the other members, you have no problems being a coward and ignoring it." Quinnten grabbed his bag from off the floor and looked at his girlfriend, who stared back at him. "I am sorry for this mess babe, I'll wait for you in the parking lot." He pressed a soft kiss on her lips and nodded toward the two cheerleaders, silently asking them to take care of her while he was temporary banned from the club. The boy started walking down the empty hallways, carrying his bag slouched on his left shoulder when other footsteps echoed from behind him and quickly approached him. Quinn barely had the time to turn around when a pair of familiar lips crashed on his, pressing him into the metal lockers at his side and turning him into a puddle of emotions and butterflies filling his stomach. His arms easily slipped around her thin waist, keeping her close as their lips moved slower and softer; breaths were mutually exchanged through their parted mouths, acquainting themselves with each other's tastes as their bodies melted in one strong embrace. "What are you doing here?" He whispered breathlessly against her slightly swollen lips, his strong fingers slowly ran through her tousled hair that she hadn't fixed properly after the impromptu shower.

"You defended me." Rachel lowered herself back on her feet, resting the side of her head against her boyfriend's firm shoulder. "You defended me despite it caused you in getting scolded and sent to the Principal and I know you would have gladly gone after Vocal Adrenaline, but you refrained yourself because you know how much this competition matters to us and hurting them would have gotten us disqualified." The brunette looked up into his soft eyes, reading the confirmation to all of her statements in his stormy hazel eyes. "Thank you, it means a lot to me."

"I always thought that one of the basics of a solid relationship was having each other's back, you showed me your loyalty even before we got together. Furthermore, now, it's my responsibility to protect you as much as I can, despite knowing you are strong and can take care of yourself." Quinn leaned down to press a soft kiss on the tip of her nose. "Now I should go to the Principal's office, before I get an even worse punishment." He chuckled softly and hugged the brunette a little closer, not wanting to part from her.

"No don't, I will talk to my daddies about what happened and I am sure they'll have no problems in lessening your eventual punishment, once they mention the ACLU contacts they can count on." Rachel raised herself on her tiptoes and brushed a soft kiss on his smiling mouth, gently nipping at his bottom lip her hands fisted the front of his sweatshirt to hold onto. "Can we go back at yours or something? I really don't want to be alone at home."

"I'll gladly keep you company and can drive you back, when it's time for you to be due at home." With the same smile on his face, Quinnten lowered the girl back on the ground and wrapped his arm around her waist. The petite singer tucked herself into his side, feeling his sweet cologne pervade her nostrils and provide safety that she really craved at that particular moment; her small hands curled under the hem of his sweater, trailing the tip of her finger over his well defined abs and making him shudder gently.

Rachel had never been over at the boy's place, she had heard girls talking about how easily things could progress with their boyfriends if left alone in their companies, despite the amount of self control or intentions to stay chaste. Yet, she wasn't worried 'cause she knew she could trust the ex-blonde in not pushing them further than they both were ready for. The apartment was a small two bedrooms place, with an open kitchen and living room where a worn out couch and armchair stood in front of a small flat TV with a PS3 sitting under it.

"Can I offer you something to drink? I forgot to buy orange juice, but we have herbal tea, vitamin water, coffee and diet coke." Quinn pulled the head back from his small refrigerator, watching the girl who leaned against his kitchen counter. "Or we can go for a coffee?" He closed it with a gentle thud and moved to stand in front of the brunette, who tugged him closer to her.

"I am okay, do not worry too much about being polite with your guest." Rachel chuckled softly and tucked her head against his chest, fingers reaching up to stroke the baby hair at the base of his neck as they stood against the counter. "Am I being too clingy?" She whispered softly and held her breath, knowing how he had been reticent in indulging into PDAs with his ex girlfriend, being seen with the Glee Club captain wouldn't have been positive for his popularity.

"No, it's perfect." He whispered and kissed her temple gently, arms circled the back of her head to play with the length of her brunette locks. The closeness and the intimacy of the simple hug had never felt better before, not even that night in the Jacuzzi turned out to be as intimate as embracing Rachel was. "I was thinking of going back to blonde and my ordinary attire, so that judges won't wrinkle their noses at my look."

"Honestly, I dig both looks because they suite you." The singer pulled her head back to stare up into his hazelnut eyes, hands slipping to the front to rest on his strong pectorals through the sweatshirt. "But if you want to do it for yourself, I would have nothing against it as long as you keep some of those ripped jeans, they are quite attractive on you." Chuckling to herself she pulled his head down for a gentle kiss and then nodded toward the couch. "Can we watch a movie here before you take me home?"

"Sure thing, I am afraid my movie selection has been dramatically reduced but maybe we can find something that will be meeting your tastes." He tugged her away from the counter, leading the brunette to the living room area and settling on the couch, while she eagerly picked the movie for the night.

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The Regionals day had finally come and, despite the attempts to keep the winning duet team on stage, Mr. Schue still favored Finn to Quinnten to be the one to sing with Rachel for their ballad, probably still holding some kind of resentment toward the boy who had called him out on his cowardice. 'Don't Stop Believing' provided to be their battle song, that first group number that had brought them all together and that had earned the audience's enthusiasm, giving them enough hopes to be a match to Vocal Adrenaline's talent. But when Rachel took the stage, the cheers and the clapping sounds died down in favor of a deep silence, that covered everyone like a warm blanket; the Glee club members stood entranced in the background, some watching with envy in their eyes and some with pride. The brunette sang her heart out, giving a perfect rendition of 'Don't Rain On My Parade' that took everyone's breath away; the moment her eyes closed, as the notes faded in the background, no one could have ever imagined the enthusiasm showed by the audience, who stood from their seat and cheered even louder if it was possible. The singer's head turned to the side, quickly finding her boyfriend's eyes who smiled brightly at her and winked quickly, not wanting to steal the moment from her any longer.

When the curtains closed, the New Directions gathered in the room assigned to them and everyone wore a big smile on their face; Brittany kept bouncing in her girlfriend's lap, holding onto her neck as she exchanged compliments with Mike and Matt, for their choreography while Mr. Schue congratulated with Finn for his duet with Rachel, as usual. The brunette was still wrapped in Kurt and Mercedes' arms, but she quickly excused herself when taking note of her boyfriend standing by the door watching her with a totally enamored look. She approached him slowly and by the time they were arms' length from each other, soft fingers grabbed on each side of her waist to erase any distance left between them and lips pressed down on hers. Everyone noticed the display of affection between the two, smiling at the sweetness that Rachel had managed to bring out of Quinnten or sulking in a corner, because he had never been that affectionate with someone else before. Both Finn and Norah's eyes lingered on the new couple, mentally rolling their eyes at them and probably wishing to be in their shoes despite they were having a baby together and had no right to interfere with their romance.

"You were amazing, do you know that?" Quinnten whispered in her mouth, giving words and taking her breath with each kiss, lingering a bit more without turning their kisses in a full make out session. It'd be inappropriate and too much to handle, knowing how easily it is to get carried away together. "I am so proud of you being my captain, Rachel Barbra Berry."

"You are making me blush." Rachel tucked her head under his chin, taking the comfortable spot she felt like belonging to and sinking into his warmth; Vocal Adrenaline were currently on stage and she didn't want to think about their performance, nor let the anxiety of the results take the best of her. So she just held onto him a little tighter, letting his usual collected demeanor comfort and soothe her till the chart was out.

"I am sorry to interrupt your sweet moment, but I think we have a problem." Norah's voice was shaky and urgent, both teens pulled back from their embrace to look at her. "My waters just broke." She nodded toward the visible puddle at her feet and the stain on the front of her dress; everyone looked around to find someone to take charge of the situation, what were they supposed to do now?

** thoughts? comments?**


	11. Chapter 11

**Another update, hopefully you are still interested! Some angst for both and more Faberry! Enjoy and let me know what your thoughts are :D **

**warning: Genderswapped!Quinn**

_all mistakes are mine! _

CHAPTER 11

Standing in a hospital wing and sitting in an uncomfortable chair were something he could have thought of doing few months before, when he still believed the baby Norah was carrying was his; but now, it didn't make any sense. He should have stayed with Rachel back at the auditorium, waiting to know whether they had made it to Nationals or not, instead of going with two of the people who had hurt him the most along the man he used to call father. His hands covered his face as he rocked back and forth, pondering what to do. To leave or stay. He loved that baby and what hurt him the most was being disrobed of something that wasn't his in the first place, yet he had loved the idea of being a father despite it cost him his family and probably youth. It would have been worth it, though, and he would have done anything possible to provide for both the child and the mother.

When Finn came out of the room, still wearing his scrubs and with a wide smile on his dumb face, the blonde guy couldn't help but feeling that hurt fill his heart and just long for having his girlfriend by his side, reminding him of what being loved really felt like. Quinnten nodded shortly toward his ex best friend and walked down the hallways to reach the exit as soon as he could; he just needed to see Rachel, feel her in his arms and mostly, feel like belonging somewhere. He felt out of place in that hospital. He felt out of place at home or even at school. Rachel made sense and she wasn't with him, cause she was their captain and she had duties to attend to.

"Quinnten." A familiar voice stopped the boy from getting in his car and drive back to the Auditorium, to stand by his captain and girlfriend's side; closing his hands in tight fists, he turned around and found the source of that sound standing in front of him, holding on their precious Chanel bag and hiding her glacial eyes behind sunglasses.

"Mother, what are you doing here?" Quinn leaned against the car, slumped shoulders and internally crumbling to pieces. Why was she there? To mess up with his mind and heart again? "You suddenly decided to make an appearance after months of silence and non-returned calls?" Anger and pain filled his voice, on the verge of breaking if he thought about the night she stood there without protecting her own son. "I need to be somewhere soon, so if you have something to say you better start talking now."

"I am so sorry Quinnie." Judy stepped closer to her son and watched him cringe at the nickname she had just used. "Had I stood up to your father, what would have happened? We both would have gotten kicked out to do what?" The blonde raised a hand to cup her son's face, feeling him tense at her touch. "You are such a brilliant young man, I knew you would have been able to find a way to support yourself." She smiled lightly at him and tried to pull him down for a hug, but her arms were pushed to the side.

"Are you bullshitting me? I am a child and I was your child. I needed you and you let me down cause you are so scared of that fucking jerk that lives under your roof." Quinn raised his voice and crossed his arms over his chest, putting some space between them. "You left me alone for months, not even wondering if I was fucking alive or not. Anything could have happened to me, mother. What if I had turned to drugs? What if I became a drug addicted dying for an overdose huh? You have a fucking idea of what I've been through since you let him kick me out?" He shouted in her face and grabbed her sunglasses, throwing them across the parking lot. "You hide yourself behind these fancy clothes to compensate a life of misery that I cannot stand, anymore. So why don't you go back to your nice car and leave me the fuck alone? I have no father nor a mother." The blonde slipped inside Santana's car and quickly pulled out of the parking lot, making sure to smash the luxury sunglasses with the wheels of the car. One small satisfaction.

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They hadn't made it. Vocal Adrenaline had scored first place and two other choir groups, obviously more convincing than them, had placed before them and sent New Directions home with the hope to do better the following year. To say Rachel was sad was just an understatement. Not only they hadn't made it to Nationals but her boyfriend had left to assist his ex-girlfriend who was having a baby he thought was his. It was sad and still left a bitter taste of jealousy in the diva's mouth. Was she always going to compete with the ex-Head Cheerio for Quinn's heart? Was he ever going to let her go? Or was he still harboring feelings for his first love? She couldn't think of that right now or she'd have lost it without anyone being able to pick up the pieces.

"You sang well, it's a shame we were better." A strong voice startled Rachel from her thoughts, turning around she found a brunette woman standing in front of her with arms crossed over her chest and a winning smirk on her face. "Rachel Berry, right? I've heard so much about it, but didn't realize how similar we look until I saw you on stage; of course, you lack my years of vocal training or Broadway but for being an amateur you are pretty good."

"Similar? Excuse me for my bluntness, but who are you to judge the way I sing or come here to pour salt on our wounds?" The younger brunette rested her hands on her hips and looked into the woman's eyes, that brightened with arrogance and pride. Rachel gulped down and casted her eyes downwards, unable to keep that gaze any longer.

"Jesse failed to fill me about how much he told you but since you have no competition to look forward to, I guess you can deal with the truth better than few weeks ago." The woman stepped directly in front of her and tilted her chin up, looking into her puzzled chocolate eyes. "I gather your fathers were serious about the close adoption formality, you do not even know who I am. You don't even recognize your own mother, Rachel?"

"Mother? You? You are my real mother?" The diva's hand rested against the wall, bracing herself when her knees went weak and she could barely keep herself from falling down to the floor. "You sent Jesse after me to get to know me? Why didn't you come looking for me, yourself?" Her voice caught in her throat and tears filled her eyes but she didn't want to let this woman have so much power of her. She couldn't afford that.

"Because I wasn't sure you'd want to know the truth and then I shouldn't have approached you before your 18th birthday, but we just casually ran into each other." Shelby smiled and looked at the young version of herself, that still had so much ahead of her to become someone as strong as she was. "Obviously you aren't ready, but I guess living without a mother figure does that to girls. You are still too weak, Rachel and if your dreams are to become a Broadway star then you better grow some backbone; your group of misfits lost because it's not a group, not without a strong leader they can rely on."

"Well, you could teach me right? Now that we finally met, we could get to know each other and I have so many questions about you and us." Rachel looked into the woman's eyes with hope, but soon it shattered into pieces when she heard the sigh escaping from her frowning lips. "You-you don't want to know each other? Aren't you curious about what happened to your daughter in the past 16 years?"

"I am going back to New York, Rachel, and I don't see where we can find the time to fit some bonding time for the two of us. Your life is here, with your family and friends. I just wanted to have the chance to talk to you and to see if we were similar; but besides the look, there's no much resemblance between us." Shelby patted her shoulder gently and then turned around to walk away from the young brunette, who let a sob escape from her mouth as she fell to her knees.

When Quinnten found her, his heart broke at the sight of his girlfriend crying on the floor hugging her knees with her arms, still dressed in their performance outfit; the blonde quickly closed the distance between them and kneeled behind her shivering frame, wrapping his arms around her petite body that melted in his strong embrace. Rachel's eyes were still blurry from the tears but the knowledge that Quinn was there soothed the pain in her chest. She buried her face in his broad chest and clung to the back of his vest, holding onto him for dear life as he rocked them back and forth and traced circles on the small of her back.

"I should have never left, I am so sorry Rachel." Quinn's lips were pressed against her temple and his own hands trembled against her back, still reflecting the grieve cause by the sight of his own mother in the parking lot. "I wanted to be here with you, cause there's no other place I really feel like I belong to." He whispered in her hair and slowly lifted them off the floor, supporting the girl's weight until they were back on their feet. "Do you want me to take you home, baby?"

"Your place, please." Rachel mumbled against his neck and burrowed herself even closer to her boyfriend, who nodded gently and led them toward the parking lot to finally get them both of out there. This day turned out to be worse than he could have ever imagined and he couldn't wait for it to be over, so they could move on.

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When they slipped inside the silent apartment, Quinn barely had time to lock the door behind himself when his back collided with the rough surface and lips pressed against his own, hungrily stealing his breath away as small hands ran along his side and under the hem of his shirt to stroke his bare skin. He couldn't help the whimpers escaping from his mouth at that intimate touch, their make-out sessions hadn't gone past the above clothes stage and yet the brunette seemed eager to skip to that or even more. It was hot but it didn't feel right, not at the moment. His hands reluctantly pulled the brunette's face away from his neck, where her lips had started leaving hard nips that made his knees buckle and pants tighten around his lower body; the more they kept going, the harder it was going to stop what they were doing.

"Rach, baby…we can't." Quinn looked down into his girlfriend saddened eyes, watching the tears fill her already glistening orbs and her body distance from his, taking few steps back. "I loved what you were doing to me but I don't want to rush it and if I know you like I do, then you aren't really sure of what was happening between us either." The blonde took few steps toward his upset girlfriend and gathered her in his arms, dropping soft kisses all over her forehead and cheeks. "When we'll do that, I want us to be 100% sure and I promise it will be worth the wait."

"I…I don't know what's gotten into me. Today was a horrible day and I just want to sleep it away, can we do that?" Rachel's hands rested on her boyfriend's sides and their eyes locked, meeting in a soft yet sorrowful gaze. "I'll text my daddies later and just tell them that I am staying at Tina's or Mercedes', I can stay over right?" Lacing their fingers together she waited for his confirmation, but the blonde just tugged her toward his own bedroom with no need to verbally express his own opinion.

Quinnten let the girl's hands go when they reached the privacy of his bedroom; the brunette looked around the familiar room, despite having been there several times before, and found a new frame sitting on the desk right beside his laptop. Getting closer, she took the silver frame in her hands and stared down at herself standing on the auditorium's stage singing her heart out, oblivious to the audience and the photographer who had taken her picture. The ex-football player's arms slipped around her waist from behind, nuzzling her exposed shoulder with the tip of his nose as they both looked down at the picture he had taken with his precious camera, one of his belongings he mostly cared about.

"I actually took that before we started dating but I thought it'd be creepy to keep it in my room, if we never got together." Quinn whispered and pressed a soft kiss at the base of her neck, where her shoulder started. "I think you might want to change out of these uncomfortable clothes, so I laid out a pair of gym shorts and my Titan shirt on the bed and if you want to freshen up, towels are under the sink along with a spare toothbrush." He kissed her cheek and walked to his closet to grab something to wear himself and finally change out of the tight shirt and pants he had kept on.

Rachel gathered his clothes, smiling at the scent of her boyfriend filling her senses as she walked out of the bedroom to change in the adjacent bathroom and let him have some privacy as well. When she walked back inside the room, 15 minutes later, she found the former punk boy pulling the comforter and the blankets down, fluffing the pillows for them. She couldn't help but smile at the sight and quickly walked to the other side of the bed, assisting him before slipping under the warm duvet and sink into the softness of the mattress beneath her.

"Do you want me to get you anything to eat or drink?" Quinn's knee was pressed in the middle of his own side of the bed, with a foot still on the floor in case she wanted him to grab something for her. When the brunette's fingers tugged him down on the bed by the hem of his wifebeater, he gave in and settled beside her on his back.

"My mother showed up, after the competition." Rachel's body curled against his side and their hands locked against his abs while his other arm was draped behind her back, to keep her close as she went on. "I thought…I thought we had a chance to reconnect, you know? My daddies never told me anything about her and I always fantasized about what she'd look like or how her voice would sound. It was a mistake and I should know better than dreaming about something that won't happen. My mother or New York and Broadway." The singer's face brushed along the length of her boyfriend's neck, who tightened his grip around her and tilted her head upwards so they could stare into each other's eyes.

"You are wrong, Rachel, and you shouldn't let someone, who obviously doesn't know a thing about you, dictate your future or crush your dreams. You are a star who will take Broadway by storm, because you belong on that stage and I believe in you." Quinn's fingertips brushed her bangs off her eyes, watching a light smile replace her frown. "She doesn't know anything about you, because had she known you then she would have never walked out of your life. You are amazing and your dreams are bigger than this town or a woman who just gave birth to you, but can't really claim to be a mother."

"Oh Quinn…" Rachel's palm cupped her boyfriend's cheek and pulled him down for a soft kiss, full of love and admiration for the guy who wasn't just her partner but her first supporter too. "I really wonder why we haven't tried this sooner." She whispered in his lips and traced his high cheekbone with her fingertip, scratching his skin with nail before trailing it down his strong jawline.

"We wouldn't have been ready and I let my family's expectations rule my life, now that it's clear I have no family left I can stand by my own decisions and no one can tell me what to do or who date." Quinn shrugged and traced circles along his girlfriend's back, tugging her closer to his side. "I should have never gone with Norah and Finn, earlier. It was a mistake on my side and very disrespectful toward you, my captain and my girlfriend."

"I understand why you'd want to be there, that baby meant something for you and nothing will take it away from you." Rachel's fingers moved to brush his hair back and her lips pressed against the side of his nose, where the nose ring used to be. "What do you mean that you have no family left?" She pulled back to look into his hazel eyes, that quickly filled with sadness and hurt along. "Quinnten, did something happen?"

"Guess it's Mother's day, cause Judy found me in the hospital parking lot before I came back to the Auditorium." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, fighting the urge of throwing up or cry or even do both. "She came to justify her behavior that night, when Russell kicked me out for being the father of Norah's baby; she didn't even apologize, Rachel and she didn't even care to know whether I was still alive or not." The blonde buried his head in his girlfriend's shoulder, who nodded gently and ran her fingers through his short hair, trying to soothe his sorrow like he had done for her. "She didn't protest when he kicked me out, what mother does that to their own child? I'd never do that to my kids, mistake can happen and we are just kids, Rachel."

"I know Quinn, it's going to be okay. I promise." Rachel's forehead rested against the former player's temple, circling the back of his head with her arms as his own arms circled her waist, keeping her close as they tried to take comfort from each other. It had been a rough day indeed, for both of them.


	12. Chapter 12

Sorry for the wait, I am quite busy with college stuff...enjoy this one and let me know what your thoughts are!

All mistakes are mines.

**A/N: The Image for this fanfiction was kindly done by Konako! **

**Warning: Genderswapped!Quinn **

CHAPTER 12

The weeks following the loss at Regionals and the birth of Norah and Finn's baby seemed to fly away and before the McKinley Students knew it, summer had come meaning just one thing: school freedom. Rachel was walking down the hallways, hugging her books to her chest and thinking about how she could fill those 2 months half with vocal and dancing lessons, MySpace videos, family time and, of course, her boyfriend; thoughts were interrupted by the sight of the aforementioned guy standing by his locker in a form fitting polo shirt and dark jeans that did nothing but accentuate his slender yet fit body. Although he was not part of the football team, he had fallen into a strict workout routine that involved morning runs and exercises that did wonders to his upper body, mostly his arms and abs.

"Good morning Quinn." Rachel leaned with her back against the closed locker beside him and smiled up at him, loving the way his eyes lit up at the sound of her own voice. "Since the school year is coming to an end, I was wondering if you had already planned how your summer will unfold." The brunette's hands loosened the grip around the books, as they were taken away from her so that the blonde guy could carry them along his own side.

"I will probably keep working at the bookstore to save up money for rent and, of course, my date nights with my lovely girlfriend." Quinnten leaned down to press a gentle kiss on her smiling mouth, bracing himself against the lockers with his free arm. "Brittany is going to throw a pool party on Friday, will you be my date?" He whispered and tugged lightly at her bottom lip, earning a small nod of approval as her arms circled the back of his head.

"Of course, I don't want anyone else to hang off your arm since I am the only one entitle to be called your 'date'." Rachel leaned up on her tiptoes and pressed their lips together for another soft kiss, before a gagging sound interrupted their sweet moment. "Hello to you Santana, what do we owe the pleasure of being interrupted?" The singer lowered herself back on her feet and slipped her arms around her boyfriend's midsection, leaning her temple against his strong chest.

"I really don't appreciate barfing in the morning, because you two suck at keeping your love behind the closed doors." The cheerleader crossed her arms under her ample chest and smirked at the couple, who just rolled their eyes at her. "Anyway, I wanted to make sure your guy here remembered to accompany me and Britt-Britt to the store, so he can carry the heavy stuff like beer and alcohol."

"Thank San, always a pleasure to know I am only useful for my muscles." Quinnten groaned and rested his hand on his girlfriend's lower back, stroking it in circles over the summer dress she was wearing. "You want to come with us? So I won't feel like a third wheel who has to stop them from having sex in the backseat while I drive and can help us pick vegan food for the barbecue." He looked down at the shorter brunette who nodded and kissed his cheek affectionately.

"I'd love to show you how to broaden your alimentary horizon Quinn, there are multiple ways to keep your proteins and vitamins daily fill without having to conflict with your own conscience over poor animals slaughter." Rachel nodded eagerly and squeezed his waist with her arms, pecking his lips gently before looking back at the other brunette. "We'll be gladly accompanying you, Santana."

"Q, you are whipped man." The Latina shook her head and opened her mouth to give them another smart retort, when a bouncy blonde ran toward them and enveloped her in a bear hug. "Britt!" Her feet were hovering the ground as she was twirled around by the athletic cheerleader, who kissed her cheek and lips alternatively.

"Looks like you aren't the only short stack around here." Quinn smirked and pecked his girlfriend's pouting lips, before taking her by the hand and dragging her toward their first period. "Bye girls!" He called out over his shoulder and chuckled to himself, hearing the words 'ducks' and 'pond' escape from the blonde cheerleader who was already making plans for the rest of the evening.

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Pool parties had always been a dreadful even for her, where she had to witness the hot cheerleaders parade around in their skimpiest outfits and have guys drool over every inch of skin exposed; that's why she had never attended one before, along with the fear of being the target of some prank that involved having her clothes hidden and probably having to walk home in just her swimsuit. Rachel shook her head and walked inside the blonde's large house, she knew Brittany's parents were surgeons but didn't know their house was as big as the Fabray mansion, that both Quinn and Santana had described as huge and like a 'fucking museum' in the Latina's words.

"RACHELLL!" Brittany's voice snapped the brunette out of her thoughts and she had barely time to brace herself against the front door, as she was tackled by the happy blonde who lifted her off her feet and twirled her around. "You came! Glee club is in the backyard and Quinn is cooking." The tall cheerleader set her back down and tugged at her hand, dragging her through the living room toward the backyard where she got a glimpse of the swimming pool and the several tables strategically placed on its left side. "Rachel is here!" The blonde shouted over the music, catching the other members' attention who greeted her with smiles or hand waves before going back to their conversations or drinks.

"Glad you decided to join us, hobbit." Santana strolled up to her, wearing a black and white bikini that accentuated her hips and breasts, making the singer feel conscious in her pink summer dress she had thrown over her yellow bikini. "What's with the dress? It's a pool party!" The Latina tugged at it when a hand was placed on her shoulder and a familiar figure stood behind them. "Fine Q, I'll leave you two to cockblock each other."

"Don't mind her baby, you look gorgeous as ever." Quinn stepped forward and pulled his girlfriend in his arms, connecting their lips in a passionate kiss that left Rachel breathless and craving for more contact; her hands had found their places on his exposed chest and couldn't help themselves but feeling his muscles quiver under her touch. "Are you hungry? I left Mike in charge of your vegan burgers and I might try them too, just so you will still kiss me afterwards." He chuckled and brushed their noses together, smiling at the dreamy look on her face. "You okay babe?"

"Where can I leave my dress?" Rachel's nails scratched along his upper abs as their bodies got even closer, erasing the small distance left between them; the blonde gulped gently and circled her waist with his arm, leading her back inside toward the bedroom zone where purses and other valuable items had been left before joining the party downstairs. When she entered the room, she walked to the desk to leave her small purse on it and reached behind herself to unzip the dress and let it pool on the floor at her feet; after folding it, Rachel turned around to look up at her boyfriend who was trying so hard not to drool or probably pass out for the lack of oxygen in his lungs. "See something you like, Quinn?" She didn't know what the confidence was coming from. Maybe it was because how comfortable she felt in this relationship with the former football player who, among the other things, probably was one of the hottest guy in their school and yet stared at her in awe as if she was the most beautiful thing he'd have ever seen.

"Just thanking someone above for letting summer come earlier this year, cause it'd be a crime to keep you hidden under clothes." He muttered to himself and crossed the space left between them, letting his eyes rake all over her exposed frame. "I am so glad it's a pool party, cause I am in need of cool water right now." Quinn whispered and slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her front flushed against his bare chest and shivering at the feelings of their naked skins touching for the first time. "Is it too much?"

"No, it's not too much nor too soon." Rachel's hands clasped together behind his neck, holding onto it as she leaned up to brush their lips together for a soft kiss. She could feel his palms press against her exposed lower back, tracing small circles with the pad of her thumb as their heads tilted to the side to find a better kissing angle. Eyes fluttered shut and ears focused on the noises that came out from their mouths, soft whimpers triggered by the feeling of skin on skin as the party outside was shut out of their small world.

"I feel so lucky to have you, Rachel Berry." Quinn's lips trailed along her jawline, nuzzling and leaving soft bites along the way as his palms descended to grab on the back of her thighs and lift her from off the floor, sitting her on Brittany's desk. Standing between her thighs, he took the time to stare down into her chocolate eyes and smile at her radiant beauty, even in the simpler outfits or without any trace of make-up.

"You make me wish we were alone in your apartment right now, so we could keep kissing like this without fearing to be interrupted." The brunette smiled brushing her thumbs along the V-dip on his hips, loving the way his swimming trunks fell lower on them so she could keep staring at his toned upper body. "I know you are probably wondering when things are going to progress between us, on the more intimately level, and I can assure you that I've done a lot of thinking and researches on the matter, coming to the conclusion that-"

"When you are ready." The former football player kissed her ramble away and strokes the back of her thighs slowly, making sure to keep a physical contact with his girlfriend while they kept on talking about it. "When we are both ready, then we'll take things as they come because I know that, despite how easy it could be to just take advantage of situations like these, we'd end up having a bitter taste in our mouth afterwards." He searched for any discomfort or sadness in her deep brown eyes, but was glad to find none and they were on the same page again.

"When we are both ready sounds like a good way to approach it, I know that after Norah you might still be hanging on that hurt she caused you and I totally get it. She was your first love and no one forgets that." Rachel's hands cupped his face, kissing him gently as her legs locked behind his waist keeping him in place against her front. She couldn't help the sadness at the thought of the ex-Head Cheerleader still holding a spot in her boyfriend's heart who, instead, was probably her own first love.

"You are right about one thing, it hurts but not because of the reason you might think of." Quinnten pulled his head back to stare at the confusion washing over his girlfriend's face. "The betrayal and all those lies hurt, but things between me and her happened more for popularity reasons than for romantic ones. We brought each other to the top of the ladder and you know they say you realize something is worth it the moment you lose it? Then, my social status didn't matter. I don't care about popularity Rachel not when I can finally say I have friends who love me for who I am and not for what I am. Not when I finally found someone who supports me despite me being the captain of the Football team or a punk loser who smoked behind the bleachers." He leaned down and kissed her softly one more time before resting their foreheads together. "She is not my first love, Rachel."

"Quinn! Berry! Stop fucking in Britt's room, I'm the only doing the nasty in there with her and drag your white asses to the pool, no one wants to eat rabbit food!" Santana knocked hard on the door and shouted from the other side, effectively breaking their moment with her usual smartass / angry behavior. "Hurry up or I'mma goin' Lima Heights on your asses!" With one last hard slap on the wooden door, she stomped her way back downstairs toward their other friends.

"Let's go before she knocks the door down and I'll have to pay for having it repaired." Quinn pecked his girlfriend's lips and helped her back down, lacing their fingers they left the privacy of the cheerleader's bedroom to find mischievous eyes and knowing smirks welcome them back. "Geez guys, mind your own business." He growled at the leery smirk on Santana's face who winked at both of them over her beer glass, the blonde guy flipped her the middle finger and tugged his blushing girlfriend toward the still warm burgers.

"What did I miss?" Finn's voice echoed through the backyard, as he walked in carrying a six beer pack and looked around to find any recap of the party till he got there. His eyes lingered on the couple standing by the food table, laughing at something his former best friend had said and making his own stomach flip in a not pleasant way at the sight of such a happy Rachel.

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The party had started dying down after hours of chilling in the cool water and finishing all the alcohol they had brought to celebrate the end of the school year; everyone in the Glee club had already made plans for the months ahead of them, Mike, Matt & Artie were off to some geek camp while Tina was going to visit her grandparents in Philadelphia for a month; Mercedes and Kurt had enrolled themselves in a fashion course in Columbus, leaving the two cheerleaders, Finn, Norah and the newly formed couple to spend most of the time in Lima.

Quinn and Rachel were lying on one of the pool chairs, cuddling in the small space with the brunette wearing her boyfriend's t-shirt over her still slightly damp bikini; kisses and soft words were exchanged between them, quickly losing themselves in their small world as a pair of longing eyes kept sneaking glances at their interaction. After having given the baby up for adoption, Norah had made it quite clear that she didn't want anything to do with him nor partake in any 'friends with benefits' deal like he had suggested, with the fear of getting pregnant again with him.

"Whatcha staring at, Finnept?" Santana stood in front of him and fixed him with her best HBIC glare that rivaled Quinn's angry glare for intensity and scariness; arms crossed over her chest, she waited for him to formulate words on his head that would probably make him look like an idiot. "Still waiting, Hudson."

"None of your business, Santana. Where did you leave Brittany? She might get lost, given how her hair color match her IQ, after all." He smirked dumbly and tried to move past her only to be punched in his jaw, that sent him stumbling back into the pool behind his back. "Fuck Santana!" He growled lowly and pushed himself out with his arms, ready to fight the Latina back only to have Quinn standing protectively in front of his best friend. "Get the hell out of my way, Quinnten."

"Why? So you can hit a girl? I didn't realize how low you could get Finn until now." Despite his height disadvantage, the blonde stood his ground and looked up at the wet boy whose fists were clenched to the side. "You don't know how much I wish you dared to hit me, so I can finally give you what you deserved months ago for going behind my back and sleeping with my ex."

"Still hurt over that? Does Rachel know you are still pining over that story while being in a relationship with her?" The tall quarterback turned to look at the brunette, who was tending to the Latina's knuckles with an icepack. "Do you know you'll never stand a chance with him? Neither I can compete with how much he means to the girl I had a baby with, how could you?" He tried to move toward Rachel only to be pushed back by the blonde guy who had Mike and Matt hovering behind him too. "You should find someone who can love you the way you deserve and not like a second choice."

"You should leave before you make a bigger fool of yourself, Finn Hudson." Rachel walked up to him and laced her fingers with Quinn's one, squeezing his hand for support. "Should I find someone else like you maybe? Who ignored me after our first kiss because it wouldn't be worth it to lose your popularity for a loser like me? They might have history together, but I assure you I would never trade my relationship with Quinn for someone like you."

"Leave Finn, before I kick you out myself." Quinn snapped at him and moved to the side to point toward the backyard door, making sure he got the message loud and clear; Finn pushed past them and approached the door, kicking the pool chair where they had been cuddling on while he walked out. Everyone exhaled a deep relieved breath hearing his truck's engine roar before he pulled out the parking lot, leaving them to enjoy the rest of the party.


	13. Chapter 13

_I apologize for the long wait, mistakes are all mines (didn't have time to proofread it)_

_Hopefully you are still interested in this fic. If so, Please Review! :) _

_Things progress for Faberry _

**M: sexual references**

**Warning: Genderswap!Quinn**

CHAPTER 13

After the accident at the pool party, things had gone pretty smoothly for Rachel and Quinn who were taking advantage of the free time to focus on their own personal plans and their relationship too; the blonde boy was still working shifts at the bookstore, having to cover his half part of the rent and save up for college until his trust fund was unfrozen for him to use it. Working there turned out to be something he was very much proud of and, of course, it helped that his passion for books and literature could flourish given all the free material at hand-reach.

"Quinn, I'm going on a lunch break. You'll be okay all by yourself?" Dylan, his coworker was back from college for a couple of months and their boss had hired him for a part-time summer internship; the tall and geeky guy was obsessed with comic books but at least he was friendly and never complained about taking additional shifts or changing them, if needed.

"Go ahead, take your time." Quinn grabbed his 'book of the month' from under the counter and sat on a comfortable chair not far from it, keeping an eye on the cash register or the door in case customers came in. "Rachel is passing by, so I won't be alone for long." He chuckled at the knowing smirk on his coworker's face and quickly cleared things out. "Nothing like that, perv. Just having lunch together to make up for our crazy schedules."

"If you say so, dude. Use protections!" The older guy slipped out of the door, in time to avoid getting hit by a blushing Quinn who held his empty water battle above his head, ready to be thrown his way. The blonde high school student sat back down and folded his feet on the edge of the counter, as he leaned back into the computer chair with the book opened in his lap. Thirty minutes or so had gone by, but he barely noticed because of being totally absorbed in his book; when the bell above the door rang, though, his attention was taken away from Proust's words to focus on the new customer.

"I remember it was your favorite." The last thing he had expected was to find himself face to face with his ex, the girl who had broken his heart and that he had thought he was having a baby with; she had probably spent time working out, cause the baby fat was gone in favor of her thin and athletic frame. "How are you, Quinn?"

"Pardon my bluntness, what are you doing here, Norah?" Quinn threw the book on the chair and approached the other side of the counter, standing tall with his arms crossed and eyebrow raised in suspicion. "If you are here to make a move or talk to me out of my relationship with Rachel, then I must ask you to leave. I am over you and I am very happy with Rachel, the happiest in my life."

"I can't lie and say that thought didn't cross my mind, but I see the difference, Quinn. I see the way you stare at her or how naturally affectionate you are with her, something that I had to force you to do when we were together." The brunette's hand reached out to graze her fingers along the back of his hand, stroking his elongated fingers. "I came here to offer you my best apology for what happened between us and for the lies about everything. You didn't deserve to pay for my mistakes, but I selfishly wanted you to be Beth's daddy because I loved you and having you by my side would have made the fall less hard."

"If you had told me, Norah…well, probably I would have been mad at first but I would have been your friend. No one should have gone through something like that alone, no matter what the circumstances were." Quinn's fingers laced with hers, squeezing them gently as they stared at each other. "You were my first serious relationship and I cared about you, but I hope you'll respect my relationship with Rachel the same way I'd respect yours with Finn or whomever else."

"I can't be with Finn. Not after you. Not after her." The brunette looked away from her ex's soft eyes, gripping the counter harder and fighting the tears back; when familiar arms wrapped around her in a gentle hug, she couldn't keep it in herself anymore. Sobs wrecked her body as she fisted the fabric of the blonde's polo, gripping it hard whilst her face was buried in his shoulder, suddenly reminding her of what she had and lost.

"It's going to be okay." Quinn's hand stroked the back of her head, pulling her closer as they stood against the counter. He had hated her for what she had done to him, but no one could understand better how to feel to lose family, whether it was a mother or a daughter; raising his gaze from the sobbing girl in his arms, his eyes landed on a familiar girl standing by the door, holding a paper bag in her hand, with a frown on her face. "Rachel…" The former football player pulled away from the crying brunette and approached his girlfriend, tugging her fully inside the store and closing the door behind her. "Nothing happened, I swear."

"What are you doing here, Norah?" Rachel stood between her boyfriend and his ex, arms crossed over her chest and foot tapping impatiently on the ground. "I trust Quinnten but you'll excuse me if I will find myself in the impossible circumstance to say the same about you. Just few weeks ago, the father of your baby tried to insinuate that you aren't able to get over my boyfriend; so I am asking you if you plan to come between us."

"As I already told Quinn, I thought about it but I can't. You make him happy, Rachel, and something I learnt from my mistakes is that love means letting go too." Norah wiped her tear stained cheeks and took a step closer toward the couple. "But I assure you, Rachel Berry, that if you hurt him I'll come after you and it'll be a lot worse than what Santana would do." The ex-cheerleader nodded toward the blonde and left the store without any other word.

"Baby, are you alright?" Quinn's arms wrapped around the brunette from behind, nose nuzzling into her neck slowly as she stood silent, still gripping their lunch bag tightly in her right hand. "Nothing happened, she just needed a friend who could understand what she is going through."

"I trust you, Quinn." The singer turned around in her boyfriend's arms and leaned up on her tiptoes to kiss him gently; his strong arms kept her upright whilst their lips brushed slowly, trying to erase any doubt from the brunette's mind whose biggest fear was to compete with Norah for Quinn's love. "Let's go eat what I brought." She mumbled as she lowered herself back on her feet, tugging her boyfriend toward the employees' room where they could have some privacy.

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After a long shift at work, nothing was better than enjoying a quiet evening on the couch snuggled up with her favorite girls and having a movie night with them; being the only guy in the room, he was outnumbered when it came to his dislike for chick flicks, but Santana backed him up when it came to choose between a musical and The Avengers Hours had slipped away, eating popcorn and cuddling on the ample couch until Santana and Brittany had called it at night, disappearing in the girl's room to have their own privacy and leaving the other couple on the loveseat.

"Do you need me to take you home, babe?" Quinn's nose nuzzled the brunette's temple as he tugged her closer to his front, tightening the blanket around them that had formed a sort of cocoon for the two of them. "I hope you can stay, though." He whispered and started nibbling on her earlobe, eliciting a soft moan from the brunette whose fingers were gripping his bare knees.

"I can stay." Rachel tilted her head to the side, feeling his perfect teeth descend upon the hollow of her neck and bite the conjuncture with her shoulder, one of her softest spots. Fingers grazed her hip, slipping under the hem of her top to scratch along bare skin and earn a choked whimper, that made her lower body roll back against the blonde's one. "Let's go to your room." The singer stood up and dragged the former football player down the short hallway until they reached their destination. As soon as the door was locked, Quinn found himself pinned against the rough surface by the eager brunette whose fingers had tangled in his messy locks.

"Rach…" Soft moans were the only things escaping from the boy's mouth, in between the breaks of their passionate kisses that left him breathless and very turned on by his girl's new attitude; his hands slid down her back and grabbed her behind her thighs, hoisting her up as he flipped them over and pressed Rachel against the door. Mindful to keep his lower body from pressing into hers, his hands held her in place while their mouths clashed together. Teeth nipped leaving bruises behind them. Tongues met and explored warm cavities, tasting and sucking the desire they felt for each other, in that moment.

Rachel was the first one to pulls away; licking her own lips as she took in the sight of a disheveled Quinn who breathed hard and fought to keep his eyes on hers. Her fingers traced his flushed cheekbones, smiling at the power she seemed to have on the most popular and wanted boy in McKinley; that thought alone brought her rawest side out, her ankles crossed behind his back as she pushed herself forward sending them both tumbling into the bed few feet from where they stood. "Too many clothes, Quinn." She whispered in his swollen lips, her hands were already tugging at his t-shirt to reveal his toned and bare upper body that she planned to explore with both hands and lips. When it fell to the floor, she took a moment to appreciate his defined torso and his abs, glistening with a light sheen of perspiration caused by the summer heat and, mostly, by what was happening between them.

"Do…do you want to do that?" Quinn's hands gripped the bedspread hard, almost ripping into pieces as he waited for the girl's answer. His body screamed to be freed from the rest of his clothes, so they could put the bed and the lack of parental control to a better use; but his mind still told him he wasn't ready for everything, despite how beautiful it'd be with Rachel. The girl astride his lap shook her head negatively, quickly adverting her eyes from his heaving chest and obvious bump in his pants, where his erection was strained under his shorts. "I am almost sure, but not totally yet too, Rach." His palm trailed up her arm to cup her chin and turn her head back to him, meeting his gaze with hers. "But we can go on and explore the other bases?" Quinn chuckled at the lack of more romantic words but at least that earned a smile from the nervous brunette, who nodded and dropped her own top to the floor.

"You are the best boyfriend ever." Her hands cupped each side of his face, gently leading their lips back to each other as they moved upwards to lie fully down on the bed. The blonde's hands trailed along the exposed skin of her shoulders, kneading them gently as he flipped them over and climbed on top of his girlfriend, trying not to grind his arousal against her lower body. The only real intimate experience had been in his parents' hot tub, but Norah had done most of the touching and grinding while he had sat back, trying to enjoy it. Rachel was different. He had true and deep feelings for her. He wanted to explore and learn what made her moan or shiver or arch into his touch, pleading for more. Every kiss had a meaning. Every touch had a purpose.

"May I?" Quinn's lips were brushing over the front clasp of her lace bra, nibbling at it as his fingers had already slipped under its hem to caress her rounded breasts; when she nodded and urged his head forward, he didn't waste any precious time to undo it with his teeth, licking the new patch of tanned skin that begged to be tasted. The tip of his tongue lapped at the small sweat droplet trailing down, enjoying the mix of saltiness and sweetness of her skin, something that sent jolts of pleasure straight to his throbbing member. "Your skin tastes so good, baby." The blonde mumbled in her left nipple, lips parting to suckle on its tip as his left hand covered the other one, kneading the soft skin slowly but fully and making Rachel's back arch off the bed. His tongue swirled around the dark peak, pushing and tugging at it with his teeth unable to part from it. Her taste was addicting. Smaller hands moved from his neck down his flexing shoulders, scratching down his bare skin until they reached the hem of his shorts to tug loose so he could kick them off the bed.

"My turn." Rachel's legs locked behind his back and quickly rolled them over, straddling his hips and hoisting herself up with her hands each side of the ex-player's head. "You are handsome, you know that?" She whispered softly, brushing his messy locks from his forehead so she could have a clear view of his shining eyes. "Sometimes I wonder why you chose me, there are better looking girls." Her fingers trailed down his strong jawline, till her palm pressed over his broad chest and above his heart whose pace had quickened under her touch.

"Because that's what you do to me, Rachel. You make my heart beat faster when you sing or smile and you are better than any of those girls out there. You are a star, my golden star." Quinn's head tilted up to catch her lips in a searing kiss, hoping to erase any doubt from her mind as she settled on his lap, wrapped in his strong and comforting arms. Both of her hands settled on his defined pectoral muscles, bracing herself as her hips gently rolled forward to relieve some of the tension pooled between her legs; his moans were swallowed down by her mouth. Tongues met halfway, pushing and pulling while they lied back down against the pillows with Quinn's hands stroking the back of her thighs under her plaid skirt.

"Take it off." Rachel's head tilted to the side, lips trailed along the blonde's tensed jawline where she left soft bites along with languid strokes of her tongue whilst he undid the zip at the side of her skirt, letting it slip off to the floor where the rest of their clothes was. Left in their lower underwear, both teens exhaled deeply at the feeling of their most intimate parts grazing and grinding, although under a thin cotton layer; the singer's arms cradled her boyfriend's head, stroking his scalp with her fingers as she bit on his pulse, with the sole purpose to leave a mark over his pale skin.

"Oh damn." Quinn's nails dug into the skin of her thighs, pressing her down against his hardened member as his eyes fluttered close and his breath caught into his throat; the brunette had managed to find one of his weakest spots, with no intentions to release her grip until he was marked for good. Letting her have control was going to end up with him losing it too soon and not really matching up the expectation she might have in his endurance. He was not Finn, for fuck's sake! With one quick but effecting buck of his hips, he was back on top of the flustered brunette whose eyes had darkened for the arousal. Her scent was lingering in the air and as soon as his senses took full notice of that, he had started his descent down her petite frame to get closer to the main source.

"Quinn, you don't have to do anything-" Rachel's words died down in her mouth, replaced by loud moans as soon as the blonde had pushed her panties down to slide his tongue between her folds. "God, don't stop baby:" Back arched off the bed and fingers tangled in his damp locks, she spread her legs wider to feel the length of his tongue explore every inch of her wet core. The boy's nose grazed her short curls and his mouth vibrated against her outer lips as the strokes intensified and deepened; his hands moved her legs over his shoulders, spreading her wider so he could latch his lips around her throbbing clit, that was begging for his attention. Nails scratched along his scalp and thighs clamped around each his side of his head, keeping him in place as the brunette hips bucked up and down to meet the tongue massaging her folds with such expertise. "Quinn I am…" Words caught in her throat as a white pleasure coursed through her frame, her eyes shut and her hips rose as the tip of her boyfriend's tongue grazed the edges of her hole. "QUINNNN!" Her voice echoed through the silent bedroom, probably reaching the other couple down the hallway too, but she didn't care; the tingles in her lower body had been replaced by fireworks and pleasure that made her toes curl and her core throb, as it released her ambrosia in Quinn's welcoming mouth. His strong tongue kept on swirling back and forth, circling her clit and then moving lower to cover her unclenching hole until she finally collapsed on the bed.

The boy nuzzles the tip of his nose against her bellybutton and slowly crawled up toward his breathless girlfriend, who lied in all her glory underneath him. It was a magnificent sight and in that moment, he would have given anything to be able to freeze time and watch her recover; his fingers brushed her bangs off her sweaty forehead where he dropped a gentle kiss. He hoisted himself up on his arms and just placed soft kisses on her sweaty face, whispering words of reassurance as his body covered hers, providing comfort and warmth better than any blanket would. "You okay baby?" His palm cupped the side of her face, gently stroking her reddened cheek and leading their mouths in a simple and short peck; when her arms slipped around his waist and her nose started nuzzling his neck, he fully relaxed and stopped worrying about having taken things too far.

"That was amazing, Quinn." Rachel's husky voice suddenly reminded him of his own arousal, aching under his tight boxers and that had been ignored while he took care of his girlfriend's needs, for the very first time since they got together. Her short nails scratched along his upper abs, making them tense in pleasure as their eyes met for the first time since he had gone down on her; her orbs were as dark as the night, filled with lust and passion that almost made him come on the spot. It would probably not take much, anyway. "Poor baby, are you hard?" She whispered in his throat, kissing it as he barely managed to nod, the brunette tugged at the fabric of his boxers and pushed them down his strong thighs revealing his painfully hard member. "You seem big, although I can't really formulate a comparison." She looked back at her boyfriend who had sneaked a glance downwards, suddenly ashamed of his length and girth. "You know, I have never been so intimate with a guy before, but Google is an interesting source of information when it comes to sex and the best foreplay techniques to keep your partner satisfied."

"Rachel, please." Quinn found himself on his back, completely exposed and very much turned on by the progressions in their relationship. "I don't want to force you to do something you don't want to, I can take a cold shower if you want me to." He pleaded with his eyes and felt her small hand travel down his lower abs past the blonde hair trail under his navel; eyes fluttered close and his hands gripped the sheets, trying to think of something that would keep himself from coming as soon as she touched him. When the feeling of her fingertips disappeared from his skin, Quinn couldn't help but whimper in protest and look at what kept the brunette from going further. The sight, though, provided to be even hotter than any stimulation Rachel had done till then; her fingers were buried between her own legs, scooping some of evidence of her arousal and moaning out his name. "Baby…" His hand lingered over the tip of his wet cock, tempted to touch and take care of his erection himself, but he was put back in place by those wet fingers that now wrapped his shaft in a wet grip. "Oh fuck, Rachel." Quinn barely cursed but the circumstances really sent his upbringing values out of the window, mostly if his girlfriend naked body was pressed against his side whispering and nipping at his earlobe while massaging his hardness like a pro.

**thoughts?**


	14. Chapter 14

**I found some inspiration to finish this chapter, I don't know if you are still interested in this fanfiction but I hope you are :) your thoughts and comments are very welcomed. :D **

**M: sexytimes**

**Mistakes are mines, didn't proofread it **

CHAPTER 14

When Quinn stirred himself awake, he was suddenly aware of two major things: it was almost 11 in the morning and, mostly important, he was pressed up into Rachel's very naked back, with his hardness poking her inner thigh from behind. The feeling of her skin against his and her breath on his forearm, wrapped around her neck from the previous night, were something that surely didn't help with his morning issue. The blonde nuzzled his face into the brunette's shoulder, trying to find a way out of the embarrassing situation, but the smell of her skin and the small whimper she let out in her sleep, just made his erection throb.

The former football player gently rolled on his back and tugged the blanket around their bare frames, shielding the girl from the chilly air of the room now that he wasn't spooning her anymore; his brows furrowed in confusion, while thinking how to get rid of his morning hard-on without being a perv, whose girlfriend was still sleeping right next to him. He knew that cold showers were the best remedy, but he didn't want to leave the brunette alone in bed, after such an intimate night together; so, he tried to think of horrendous and sad stuff, that would turn him off like dead puppies or maybe Coach Sylvester in a bikini.

The attempt, though, didn't last much because a still sleeping Rachel rolled over and tucked her head to his chest, nuzzling his collarbone with the tip of her nose and draping a possessive arm over his ripped waist; Quinn gulped lightly and just circled her bare back with his forearm, keeping the blanket from pooling around her waist and making the situation even harder for him. His eyes took in the sight of her disheveled look that contrasted with her relaxed face, that made his heart flutter in his chest; with his free hand, he tucked her brown locks back, keeping them from obscuring the sight of her angelic features or from bothering her sleep. In that moment, Quinnten Lucas Fabray was pretty sure he had fallen in love with Rachel Barbra Berry. It wasn't the intimacy of their embrace nor what they had done to each other the night before; it was the way he was purely content to watch her sleep or how he could have just sat hours listening to her sing. Those simple actions were enough to fill his heart with warmth and capture every inch of his soul, like no one else before.

"Mmhh…what time is it?" Rachel's nose nuzzled the dark hickey on his pulse point as she stirred in his arms, purring in his ear like a cat. A sexy cat, indeed. The brunette's hand slipped over the flatness of his stomach, grazing over the shape of his abs before settling on his left side to caress the small scar he had gotten when he was 7 years old.

"Half past 11 babe." Quinnten stretched his neck to catch a glimpse of the alarm clock, before resting his head back down to stare at the frown appearing on his girlfriend's face. "Do you need me to drive you back?" His long fingers threaded through her messed locks, untangling some and stroking the back of her head in a gentle way.

"I can stay till afternoon, want to get rid of me?" Rachel's eyes fluttered open to focus on his hazel ones, so bright in the morning that could light the whole room up. "HI." Leaning up she brushed her lips against his, not even thinking about the possibility of morning breath, because resisting those lips was definitely harder than dealing with the lack of a freshly washed mouth; her palms came to rest on his chest, leveraging herself as she moved her lips against his, still tasting herself on them.

"Good morning, beautiful." Quinn's hand cupped her cheekbone, gently caressing her soft skin, whilst their lips brushed with each word they spoke; the singer shifted closer to her boyfriend, trying to fully straddle him but his free arm kept her in place, at his side. "I…I don't know how to say that without making a fool of myself." The blonde's cheekbones reddened with embarrassment, knowing he couldn't hide the morning issue from the girl who stared back at him, with a puzzled frown. "I have a morning _thing_."

"As in a routine? I can assure you that I usually don't sleep in so late either, baby. I go through a rigorous workout routine that consists of 30 minutes on my elliptical and then a 15 minute shower, preferably hot." Rachel's hand traced circles against his hipbone as she still tried to move closer, but when the blonde didn't let her she huffed in protest and rolled on her back, away from him. "What's your problem, Quinn? Do you regret last night? Because you surely didn't mind when we-"

"I have morning hard-on, Rachel, and when I woke up I was practically molesting you in your sleep!" Quinn sat up abruptly and placed a pillow over his lap, knowing the blanket would only evidence his problem even more. "I'll never regret anything we do together, Rachel, and you should know that by now." He looked at the brunette who was now smirking up at his flustered face; he didn't even have the time to ask what was on her mind, because he found himself pinned down to his mattress with his naked girlfriend hovering him.

"You have nothing to be embarrassed for; it is quite flattering that you can't keep your hands off me, even when we sleep." Rachel threw the pillow to the side and straddled his lower body, brushing her belly against his wet hardness. "Other guys might have taken advantage of the situation, instead you were worried about offending me and that's…I don't know how to express what you make me feel, Quinn." Leaning down she brushed their lips against his, kissing away his worries as their bodies molded together under the blanket.

"I love you." Quinn's arms slipped around her back, holding her against him as his eyes searched for hers and any sign of discomfort or rejection. "I know it might be early and I won't pressure you into saying it back, but I was watching you sleep and it just hit me. I love you, Rachel and I really mean it." His lips curled in a warm smile as they lied there, wrapped in each other's arms sharing that moment together.

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When Santana walked inside the apartment, she wasn't surprised to find her best friend sprawled on the couch with an open book in his lap, catching up on his nerdy readings; she shook her head and closed the door behind herself, before walking to the kitchen to unload the groceries she had bought. Living with Quinn turned out to be easier than she'd ever imagined, he cleaned after his mess and was respectful of her spaces even buying her 'girls' stuff when she needed it.

"How are things going with Miss Diva Berry?" Santana shoved his legs to the floor and plopped on the couch facing him, obviously catching his attention. "What? She is a diva and you fucking know it, Q." The Latina shook her head and took the book away from him so she could rest against his front, cheek pressed on his chest.

"So talking about my girlfriend is just a way to keep the conversation off something else" Quinn mumbled and ran his fingers through his friend's hair, who nuzzled the fabric of his t-shirt with the tip of her nose. "I'll start then. I saw my dad, yesterday and he wasn't alone." He sighed and stared up at the ceiling, remembering how the guy he had always looked up to, had turned into something he never wanted to become. "He was with a girl, probably few years older than me and not the kind of girls that used to attend our Church functions."

"The dickhead has a mistress? Do you think your mom is aware of that?" The Latina looked up at her friend, who shrugged lightly and went back to massage the back of her head. "Maybe she found out and kicked him out, you know? You could go back home, instead of having to pay rent and live in a cramped space with a bitch."

"You are not a bitch and if I were to move out of this place, I wouldn't leave you alone here." The blonde kissed his friend's forehead and held onto her a little tighter, relishing in those short moments of vulnerability she allowed to show. "What got you so upset today?" He whispered into her dark hair, not wanting to press her further than she wanted to go.

"I ran into some old family friends and they looked at me with so much disgust, as if I were the one responsible for my father's behavior. I can't wait to get the hell out of here, with you and Brittany and the midget." Santana rested her head back down against his chest, letting herself doze off into the safety of his embrace.

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Summer was flying faster than they had hoped for, but the days spent with Rachel or their friends of the Glee Club made up for the loss of a real family to go home to, instead of a small apartment and issues that he had to carry on his own shoulders. During one of his shifts at the bookstore, he had met the new football coach who, for some odd reason, was aware of his past as receiver in the team and had suggested for him to try out for the new season.

He missed football, that was an understatement. He missed being part of a team and being on the field, feeling the adrenaline course through his veins. He missed his teammates, but didn't miss the popularity attached to it. If he ever went back to football, it would have been for purse passion and potential scholarships reasons, that would grant him a ticket out of Lima without having to rely on his parents' money.

"Hi." When Rachel opened the main door, Quinn couldn't help but light up at the sight of his petite girlfriend clad in a pair of denim shorts and a short t-shirt, that left her toned abdomen exposed. "I didn't expect you this early, but I am very welcome to see you." She tugged him inside by the hand, only to pin him against the closed door and attach their lips together for a passionate kiss.

"Hello to you." Quinn mumbled against the singer's lips, leaning in to press his own against hers while his hands grabbed on the back of her thighs, lifting her off the ground with ease. "Your folks at home?"The blonde pulled back to stare at the girl in his arms, who shook her head and cradled his head with her forearms. "Good." He whispered softly and closed his mouth over hers, blindly walking his way upstairs to the girl's room to find comfort in her soft bed and soundproofed room.

Ten minutes later, behind a very locked door, Rachel's hips rolled down to meet the thrusts of her boyfriend's tongue who was eagerly lapping at her drenched core. Hands tightened around the headboard as she tried to meet his strokes with eagerness, loving the way he took time to explore every inch of her most sacred spot and how his hands assisted the movement of her hips, slowing them down when he wanted to linger there a bit more. Nothing would have ever prepared her for the pleasure of having Quinn's mouth on her folds, parting them with the tip of his tongue before massaging them with his talented tongue. Riding his face was something so erotic that she had to hold back from coming too soon, despite knowing her boyfriend wouldn't mind at all and would just work her through a second orgasm.

"You are so sexy, baby" Quinn's teeth grazed the underside of her nub, nipping at the tender skin as his hands lifted her higher on his face to line her up with his mouth. "And so tasty." He mumbled against her painfully throbbing clit, before thrusting his tongue inside her opening to suckle on the source of her sweet nectar. Rachel's forehead dropped against the cold wall, hands grabbed onto his messy hair as she grinded her face with no rhythm; she just needed to relieve herself of the ache between her legs, speeding up the pace the player had set.

"Please, make me come." Rachel's eyes fluttered open to stare at the way he was eating her out. His cheeks were flushed and pink. His hair was a mess and his lips and nose glistened with her juices, making other shivers run down her back to her core. The sight was enough to make her come, hard and fast. Her head was thrown back and her back arched into a perfect curve, smashing her throbbing nub against the blonde's nose who welcomed her release in his mouth, never ceasing the stimulation of her walls from within.

"Mhmm" His words were mumbled incoherently as he gently lowered the tired girl on her back while he dragged his tongue over her outer lips, dropping soft kisses on them. "I am addicted to your taste." He slowly crawled up her body, peppering her sweaty front with butterfly pecks until he lied side by side with her, nuzzling his wet nose along hers.

"Having you eat me out might be my favorite activity, after singing." She chuckled breathlessly as she panted, still recovering from her induced high. Quinn's arm slipped around her hips, tugging her closer as he leaned down to breathe some air in her mouth through small kisses; her arms slipped around his neck, holding onto him while they lied entwined in the middle of the bed.

"I guess nothing beats singing, huh?" He smirked playfully and trailed his hand up her side, cupping the underside of her breast making her hiss in pleasure. "You are gorgeous when you let it go, you know that? You look so free and I love watching you be like that." The player's lips brushed along her jaw, nipping at her mocha skin as he slipped on top of her, brushing his own arousal against her inner thigh.

"And I love you." Rachel's hands cupped his cheeks, tugging his head back so she could stare into his darkened hazel eyes that lit up with happiness. "I love you, Quinnten, and it has nothing to do with what you just did to me, even if it was pretty amazing." She chuckled against his lips and brushed the tip of their noses together, feeling his weight fully rest against her body.

"I love you too, Rachel." He ran his fingers between her tousled hair and settled against her, not wanting to miss the warmth of her naked body despite the summer heat. "Before we got sidetracked, I actually dropped by because I wanted to talk to you about something." His eyes locked with his girlfriend's ones, who nodded and encouraged him to keep talking. "The new football coach wants me to tryout to get my spot back on the team and I told her I'd think about it."

"Oh, I see and I guess your conflict lies in whether your newly acquired popularity might affect our relationship or now, right?" Rachel rolled them on their sides and wrapped his arms around her waist, snuggling into his bare chest. "I know you like football as much as I like Glee, so I could never keep you away from that but I can't help worrying about it; I still wonder how an underdog like me is dating someone like you."

"Hey now, don't say that because you are better than anyone else in that school or in this town." Quinn's fingers lifted her chin to stare down into her dark eyes as his other arm erased any distance left between their bodies. "I wanted to talk to you about it, so you knew where my priorities stand. I don't have to go back to football, there are other sports team that could still provide me a scholarship out of here. Football is like your Glee, it will help me leaving this town and still be close to you, while you are building your future in NY."

"You want to be close to me, once high school is over?" Rachel's eyes shone with happiness and her smile turned into a grin at the mention of a future together for them. "You don't need my permission to do something that will make you happy, Quinn, but I am glad you talked to me about it." With a small push, she rolled him on his back and she slipped on top of him, straddling his ripped waist. "I trust you and I'll stand proudly on the bleachers, being your personal cheerleader."

"Oh baby, don't give me ideas about you in a cheerleading uniform." He sat up to claim her lips in a hard kiss, as his other hand reached for the blanket to throw it over their heads while they rolled over and returned to their previous activities.


	15. Chapter 15

**Hi everyone! I managed to put together another chapter for this fic. Somehow I know the general idea of how I'll end it, but the tougher part is to write the chapter and get there! Hope you are still interested. If so, please let me know what your thoughts are :)**

**Warning: Genderswapped!Quinn **

**All mistakes are mines **

**Enjoy!**

CHAPTER 15

Summer came to an end and soon the new school year began, bringing new chances to start over and redeem themselves for the mistakes made; along with that, it always gave slightly older romances time to blossom and mature, while balancing new projects and new acquaintances. Quinn stood by his locker, wearing a McKinley Titans' brand new t-shirt and form fitting jeans; his hair was still wet and messy from the shower he took after the tryouts and landing the Football Team Captain spot, for the second year in a row. The new Coach – Coach Beiste – had already taken an interest in him and Quinn wasn't going to miss his chance, that could equal to his ticket away from Lima and closer to Rachel. He wasn't going to stop the girl from moving forward, to achieve her dreams, so he definitely needed a scholarship to pursue his own dreams.

"Hi, Quinn." Rachel's voice brought him out of his deep thoughts, making him smile because she was back into her plaid skirts and knee high socks. After a whole summer spent lounging around in summer dresses, bikini or lack of clothes, he was quite fond of seeing her typical dress attire that had made him fall in love with her. "From the smile on your face and the new t-shirt, I gather your meeting with Coach Beiste had a positive outcome, right?"

"I am back on the team, as Captain." Quinn leaned down to drop a soft kiss on her mouth and pull her closer by the waist, to feel their frames pressed together. "Although, I wish it was still summer because I got used to wake up beside you." He whispered in her lips and pecked her blushing cheek, knowing exactly what was going on in her mind. "Not just for that, perv." He chuckled and stood back up, to retrieve the books from his locker.

"Rachel Berry & Quinnten Fabray, the new power couple of McKinley High! What can you tell us about your summer of loving? Any scandalous news you'd like to share with your audience?" Jacob shoved a microphone into Rachel's face, backing her up into the metal lockers in surprise, before he was shoved back by a very upset blonde. "No need to manhandle a reporter, I never thought you'd be a supporter of no press freedom. This is a free country!"

"You can write anything you want on that stupid newspaper of yours, but do not dare to approach my girlfriend like that, again, or I'll show you where to properly shove that microphone of yours." The blonde's arm wrapped around the brunette's shoulders, who beamed up at him before tugging her boyfriend toward the now scared reporter, who held his microphone with trembling hands.

"Hello fellow McKinley students, this is Rachel Berry and Quinnten Fabray speaking." She turned toward the blonde, who rolled eyes and waved at the camera. "We are here to share with you the details of our very special summer; I actually employed my time to improve my already outstanding singing skills because, as you probably know, I plan to become a very successful Broadway singer in NY. Of course, the life of a Broadway starlet does not revolve exclusively around singing, that's why I attend dancing classes and go through a regular and meticulous workout regimen, which keep my body fit. Don't you agree, Quinn?"

Quinn cleared his throat and scratched the back of his head, not really wanting to share the beauty of his girlfriend's body with the whole student body. "I don't think it is appropriate to talk about that, Rach." He pecked her forehead and held tighter on the strap of his bag, looking down the hallways if anyone else was witnessing the embarrassing interview. "We should go to class, it was interesting to stumble on you, Jacob." He fakely smiled at the reporter, who raised his microphone up into his face to clearly get a statement from him. "Look, man, I know everything about your obsession over Rachel but I won't give _you_ or some other perv any spank bank material. She is gorgeous and I am a very lucky guy. I can't wait to go on the field and score points for her. That's all you will get from me."

"It was nice to talk to you, Jacob. Please, keep us updated when and where we'll be able to see the interview." Rachel grabbed onto her boyfriend's hand with hers and walked down the hallways toward their first class, luckily shared together. "You really mean that?" The brunette looked up at the blonde, who furrowed his brows in puzzlement. "That you think you are lucky and that you'll score points for me?"

"I am very lucky, Rachel and I'll never stop believing that." Quinn took a quick glance to the clock above the classroom, stating that they still had 5 minutes before the bell rang. "You came into my life when I thought I was worthless; you made me believe in myself and that I was better than my name. How couldn't I want to make you proud of me?" He cupped her cheek and joined their lips for a soft kiss, that made them both sigh happily. "I love you." He whispered against her lips as the bell rang, breaking their small but still meaningful moment.

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The first Glee Number, performed in the school quad and main staircase, was meant to be a successful way to recruit new members for the club but no one but few people paid attention to them. Rachel crossed arms over her chest and leaned back into her boyfriend, who rubbed her arms up and down in a soothing way as the students passed by without sparing them a glance. What went wrong? They used a catchy song, complicated and interesting dancing choreography and performed in a very open location. Why couldn't they be more popular like the Football team or the Cheerios?

"That new blonde guy seemed interested, maybe we can get him to audition?" Quinn kissed the top of her head, as they sat in the lunch room still wearing their New York outfits. One of the perks of those outfits was Rachel wearing a skirt, showing off her legs that surely kept on catching the blonde Captain's attention. He still remembered how it felt having them wrapped around himself, as they explored more intimate sides of their relationship.

"Quinn, stop drooling over Berry's legs." Santana threw her baseball cap at her best friend's head, hitting his temple and startling him away from his thoughts; she chuckled at his shocked reaction and pointed to the food in his plate, that sat there getting cold because he was too busy daydreaming over that. The Latina turned toward her blonde partner, who was eating Lucky Charms from a box without a care in the world.

"What the hell did you say to the new Coach?" Finn barged into the lunch room, stomping his way toward their table obviously furious at Quinn. "She took the Captaincy away from me and told me I had to attend tryouts again. What the fuck did you tell her, Fabray?" He threw the blonde's plate to the floor and grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him to his feet.

"I didn't tell her anything, Hudson." Quinn pushed him back and rounded the table, not wanting to accidentally harm Rachel because of his stupid ex best friend. "Unlike someone who is too lazy to show his face on the field, I attended the first training this morning and gained my title back. I worked out to stay in shape and be able to get back on the field, so stop complaining and take responsibility of your actions." He didn't back down, despite his height advantage against the brunette, and just looked up at him.

"You think so highly of yourself, huh? The golden boy fallen from grace. You are just a daddy's boy, Quinn and I swear I'll make you pay for taking this away from me." Finn grabbed him from his shirt and shoved him back against one of the benches, smirking at the pained expression on his face. "You fight like a girl, no wonder girls would rather cheat on you."

"Shut up!" Quinn charged at him, catching him off guard and sending him to the floor, as a small crowd gathered around the two boys on the floor. Santana and Rachel tried to make their way through the crowd to separate them, but they could barely get a glimpse of the punches being thrown. Quinn found himself on his back, after Finn landed a strong blow to his jawline that weakened his grip around the taller guy.

"Stop it, now!" Mr. Schuester pushed Finn off Quinn and kept the guys apart, as Mike and Dave finally managed to hold their friend back from going after the brunette boy. "What's wrong with you two, huh? I thought we were a family. How do you expect to recruit new members if you can't bury the hatchet for good?" He shifted his eyes between the bruised guys, who were just panting hard and tried to get their bearings back.

"Quinn, we need to get you to the nurse." Rachel slipped under Dave's arm and replace him at her boyfriend's side, looking up to his bruised but still handsome face. "Your eye is turning black, you need to put some ice on that and make sure you didn't get a concussion for being thrown into a bench." She pointed her glare at the ex-quarterback, who smirked proudly at the damage he caused.

"We are no family, Mr. Schue." Finn stood back up and stretched his pained hand, whose knuckles had turned red for the punches thrown. "In order to be a family, you should know what that word means and does poor Quinnie know that? Last thing I heard, his parents wanted nothing to do with their loser son." He laughed at the blonde's attempt to break free to get him, but Rachel, Mike and Santana kept the football captain in place with their grips.

"Enough, Finn. I'll personally escort you to the Principal's office for detention and starting the fight." The Glee Club teacher pushed him toward the lunch room's exit, breaking through the crowd that slowly started dissipating because the show was over. Quinn heavily leaned against his friends and girlfriend, falling under the weight of exhaustion and, mostly, pain while they helped him down the hallways toward the nurse room.

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"Baby, I am fine. You heard the nurse, it looks worse than it is." Quinn slightly whimpered as he took his shirt off, because of the bruise forming on his lower back where it made contact with the wooden bench. "I don't want to cause you any trouble with your dads, it's a school night." He looked at the brunette, who was obviously not listening to him because too worried about finding an ice pack for his bruise.

"There's no way I am leaving you alone, Quinn Fabray." Rachel's voice could be heard from the kitchen, where she was rummaging through the fridge and freezer for some cold object to use as relief for him. "Why don't you go grocery's shopping? I understand you are probably a pizza and takeout guy, but don't you even have an ice pack?" She stomped her way back to his bedroom, closing the door behind herself to preserve their privacy and not to bother Santana with her loud voice.

"I'll make sure to buy something, tomorrow. The nurse gave you that ointment, it's mint flavored so it might work for now." The blonde football player dropped his pants to the floor and pulled the covers back, laying face down on the cold bed and mindful of the bruised side of his face. "Can you come cuddle with me, the painkillers are making me sleepy and I don't know how long I can still be up."

"Just because you are being extremely cute, right now." Rachel closed the curtains and grabbed the ointment bottle, sitting it on the nightstand as she threw her flats to the side and crawled in bed with her boyfriend. Laying on her side, she started running her fingers through his blonde locks as the guy sighed happily, under the effect of the pain killers. "For what it's worth, you are not a loser. It's your family's loss and I just wish they saw what I see when I look at you. You are an extraordinary human being, I couldn't wish for a better boyfriend and friend."

"I love you, Rachel." Quinn nuzzled himself into her neck and draped a loose arm around her waist, holding onto her as he slipped into a deep pharmaceutical slumber. The singer cradled his head with her arms and just kept on stroking his hair, watching him sleep and taking care of him, the best she could. She really couldn't wish for a better partner to love.

When Quinn stirred from his nap, it was fully dark and by checking his clock on the nightstand, he took notice of the late hour; the warmth of the day had slowly dissipated, being replaced by a tender coldness that caused chills to run through his barely clothed body. Turning onto his good side, the blonde watched the small brunette curled on herself, slightly shivering, probably feeling the same shift in the temperature of the room, that had caused him to wake up. The player reached for his lighter comforter and dragged it over their frames, before scooting closer to the brunette and taking her into his arms; Rachel visibly relaxed in his embrace, nuzzling her nose against the base of his neck and wrapping an arm around his back, forgetting about the bruise there.

"Ouch." Quinn whimpered in pain and pulled back from his girlfriend, who woke up for the sound of his protests and the feeling of his body pulling away from hers. "Sorry, you just touched that bruise and it is hurting worse, now that the painkillers' effect has worn off." The blonde reached on the nightstand for the ointment the nurse had given him. "Would you mind rubbing some on my back, babe?"

"Of course not, sorry for causing you pain." Rachel leaned forward to peck his lips tenderly, before squeezing some gel in her palm, rubbing her hands together to get it warmer. "It might be a little cold." She straddled his hips and gently placed her palms over his bruise, startling when he flinched in pain under her. "Sorry, baby." The singer slowly moved her hands in circles, spreading the cold ointment all over his lower back and sighing in relief, when he relaxed under her touch. Obviously, the ointment was soothing the pain caused by the impact with the wooden surface. "I was shocked when Mr. Schue interceded in your favor, today, given how much pride and admiration he feels for Finn. You didn't deserve to be punished for something you hadn't even started or asked for."

"I was surprised too." The player reached behind himself to tug the brunette closer, despite enjoying the slow massage she was giving him. "I know how much you hate violence, I wouldn't have attacked him if not provoked like that." His arm draped over her waist, stroking under the hem of her shirt as she lied beside him on her back; he had never enjoyed cuddling before, but with Rachel it felt so natural that he couldn't stay away from it.

"It's not your fault, I know you wouldn't have hit him first." Rachel's fingers traced the small cut over his eyebrow and then moved slowly down, to hover the purple mark over his perfect jawline. "If you weren't so banged up, I would be all over you already. The badass look suits you." She chuckled and kissed the tip of his scrunched nose, cause he wasn't sure if she was serious or not. "You know that I had a weakness for your punk look, that's not new."

"But you always turned down my attempts to make you skip classes to make out under the bleachers, you were pretty immune to my charming attitude." Quinn pushed himself over his elbows and slipped on top of the brunette, who smirked up at him and trailed her fingers along his defined abs. "We could have had so much fun, you know? Plus, it would have given you moments of your "bad girl" phase to write about, in your future biography."

"I am sure we can still create some memories, that might fill that chapter of my life." The brunette's lips trailed up the good side of his jawline, nipping and leaving a wet path on her way whilst her hands toyed with the waistband of his boxers. She could feel his bulge brush against the front of her underwear, through the skirt and that intimate contact sent tingles in her lower regions, making her panties more uncomfortable to wear. Pulling back, she looked up into his darkened orbs and just tugged him completely on top of her, not worrying about his additional weight because it always felt safer and never uncomfortable, like that only time with Finn.

"I can hear the wheels turning in your head." He chuckled lowly, as he shifted his weight on the left elbow and used the right hand to trace her outer thigh, under the hem of her skirt. When her breath itched and back arched for more contact, he got the hint that her mind was not really going anywhere else but only focused on their intimate embrace. "What do you want me to do, baby?" He brushed his lips against her ear, almost singing the words as his fingertips teasingly slipped under the fabric of her damp underwear that she wanted off.

"Off. Take them off, please." Rachel arched her hips off the bed, forgoing any other subtle way to tell her boyfriend what she wanted. When his hand pulled them down her legs, she exhaled in relief and just tugged Quinn down for a hard kiss that left him breathless. His body fell right between her parted legs, the skirt had been bunched up around her waist so that the front of his boxers pressed right against her most intimate parts. The friction was deliciously fulfilling. She could feel his hardness through the boxers and, with every movement of their hips, pleasure shot through her body making her whimper against his lips.

"You feel so hot, against me. It's driving me crazy, Rach." He panted against her mouth. He was trying so hard not to shove his own underwear out of the way, to finally cover the last step of their intimacy. The thought of feeling her, for the first time, almost made him dizzy with pleasure but they weren't going to cross that, until both were ready for it. "I love you, so much." He whispered breathlessly, as he held himself above her on his trembling arms. The weight of pleasure was almost too much.

"I love you too, Quinn:" Rachel's hand trailed down his quivering stomach, probably understanding how hard it was being for him to keep it in his "underwear" without putting any pressure on her. She really wanted to take that step with him, no one else had ever pushed her so close to the limits like the guy above her. But there was something that kept her from being 100% about it. Something that still made her feel insecure about a guy, who could have anyone and still chose her. "God, you are so hard, baby." Her hand wrapped around his rigid length, squeezing it softly as their mouths seeked for one another and his fingers slipped right where she needed them the most.


End file.
